QUICK FACTS:
- Tasted: Multiple preparations over several days in Jan 2023, Aug 2024, March 2025
- Brand: Marukyu Koyamaen (Uji, Japan – 300+ year heritage)
- Price in 2024: $45-60 for 20g (0.70 oz) – roughly $3.50 per serving
- Price in 2025: $75-95 for 20g (0.70 oz) – roughly $4.50 per serving
- Region: Uji, Kyoto Prefecture
- Best for: Koicha meditation sessions, impressing tea ceremony purists
- Measurements: 4g (0.07 oz / 0.4 US tsp) with 75ml (2.4 fl oz / 4.7 tbsp) at 80°C (176°F)
THE MATCHA EXPERIENCE:
Aroma: Choan starts life as a wallflower – the dry scent barely registers above “standard grassy matcha.” Sift it into a warm bowl and something shifts – subtle umami notes surface like they’re testing the waters. Add hot water at 80°C (176°F) and suddenly there’s implied sweetness floating around, though it vanishes faster than you can say “matcha freakniq.”
The real magic happens as it cools. Strawberry and raspberry notes peek through (seriously), accompanied by what tastes like hazelnut and almond having a quiet conversation. It’s oddly compelling.
Taste: Everything operates in whisper mode here. The bitterness leads – not aggressive, just a soft, persistent reminder you’re drinking real matcha. Behind it, tartness and astringency play backup vocals while sweetness and umami try to mediate from the background.
Here’s the weird part: thick tea actually improves as it cools, even though the bitterness becomes more pronounced. It’s like the matcha needs time to figure itself out.
Texture: Smooth and refined, with that heavy blanket feeling on the tongue that koicha should deliver. Whisks beautifully without fighting you.
Visual: Vibrant jade green that’ll make your Instagram followers think you’re swimming in liquid forest air.
Preparation: Forgiving at 80°C (176°F). For koicha, use 4g (0.14 oz / 0.8 US tsp) with 30ml (1 fl oz) water. The usucha made from koicha remnants tastes more like second-steep sencha than most matchas – fascinating if your body is 90% matcha like ours.
VALUE ASSESSMENT:
Let’s cut through the ceremonial politeness: $90-94 for 20g (0.70 oz) puts this in premium territory, and while Marukyu Koyamaen’s 300-year pedigree and 30 National Tea Competition wins justify quality expectations, Choan feels like paying concert hall prices for chamber music.
It’s technically flawless – no harsh edges, perfect refinement, undeniable sophistication. But for fellow matcha obsessives dropping this kind of cash, you want personality alongside pedigree. There are matchas at this price point that’ll make you question your life choices (in the best way).
BOTTOM LINE:
This is high-quality matcha that won’t offend anyone and will impress tea ceremony traditionalists. Perfect for quiet contemplation when you want elegance over excitement. But honestly? If someone gave me a tin (thank you, Sugoi Sweets!), I’d enjoy every gram. Would I buy it again? Probably not – there are better adventures waiting at this price point.
👍 Perfect for beginners who want sophistication without intimidation, or experienced drinkers seeking meditative subtlety.
👎 Skip if you prefer matcha that grabs you by the taste buds and refuses to let go.
Disagree with us?
We’re always hunting for fellow matcha obsessives’ takes on premium Japanese estates. Have you tried Choan or other high-end Koyamaen matchas? Maybe you discovered something in this tin that we missed? Drop a comment and help build our collective matcha wisdom – after all, we’re swimming in this matcha bath together, one perfectly whisked bowl at a time.