In Search Of...Maccha, or Matcha

This week, I was invited to a Sushi Happy Hour at my friend Susan's house, so I decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to make a recipe from my new cookbook, the Breakaway Cook. I figured that they would be covered on savory food, so I thought that a sweet, handheld treat with a Japanese twist would be just the thing. Maccha truffles - what could be more perfect?

I went to Japantown in search of Maccha, which is very fine green tea powder used to make ceremonial tea. My travels led me to the White Crane, a tiny tea shop in the Kintetsu Mall, owned and operated by David Furukawa-Chen.


It looks very unassuming, but is a very specialized and high-end shop, which is a pleasure to visit, both for the products and for the wealth of knowledge that David offers. He has worked in restaurants, owned his own catering business, and for many years was a food stylist, which requires a very artistic eye and infinite patience. I later read that he is a healer and practices acupressure as well. He is also a passionate home cook, and told me about some of his favorite recipes - we talked food, wine and restaurants for well over an hour! This tea shop is his labor of love, and he imports tea directly from Japan, from tiny regions and villages that otherwise would not have distribution in the USA. In fact, most tea that is imported is of a lesser grade, and the Japanese keep the high-end varieties for themselves.

While he was out of Matcha (he sells organic Uni Matcha Tea, which I will be back to try), I ended up sampling and buying the most incredible sencha tea, from high in the mountains. First I tasted the dry leaves, which were grassy and nutty, and with a crunch that reminded me of dried seaweed. Then I tried the tea, which had a beautiful flavor and a gorgeous delicate green color. Then, I tried the soaked tea leaves, which can be eaten or tossed into a salad - they are that fresh! Like a fine wine, you pay for quality. A bag of this tea costs $45, much more than I have ever paid for tea. But just like a fine wine, once you've tasted it, it spoils you for anything else.


Tradition and ceremony are revered at the White Crane. David wrapped my tea in handmade paper, wrote the name of the store in perfect calligraphy on the outside while I watched, fascinated, and tied it with a raffia string. Beautiful.


I am savoring a cup of my sencha tea now, and looking forward to my next visit to this gem of a tea shop. Just as I knew from the first sip that I was tasting a rare tea, getting to know David was to be in the company of a rare person.