Green tea powder bonanza

I love the flavor of green tea, so I'm always looking for new kinds of green tea powder to add to cakes, puddings, and other desserts. At the moment I have a whopping five different kinds in my cupboard, and that's not even including thai tea and black tea powders! Despite the explosion of green-tea-flavored desserts in the US, tea powders are still surprisingly hard to find. In Boston, the few places that reliably carry them are Ming's supermarket in Roxbury, Kam Man supermarket in Quincy, and the Super 88 in Dorchester. I go by Ming's the most since it's within walking distance of my apartment, but sometimes they don't have the pure green tea powder in stock. If it were closer I'd probably shop for green tea powder at Super 88. If in desperate need, Trader Joe's also carries instant green tea and matcha latte powder, but they are much more expensive than those at Asian markets.

Here is a run-down of the green tea powders I've tried in order of preference

Tradition brand green tea powder
Taiwan
$4.99 / 250g = $19.96 / kg @ Ming's
Ingredients: green tea
Pure green tea powders can get very, very expensive, but this brand from Taiwan combines quality and value for those who are not picky or rich enough to spring for $30 / ounce Japanese matcha. It has a lovely green color which makes for attractive icing (although it turns brownish when baked, as all green tea powders I've tried), a fine, powdery texture, and a clean taste with a nice bitter edge.



E-fa brand jasmine tea
Taiwan
Ingredients: green tea, non-dairy creamer, jasmine extract, refined sugar
$7.05 / 1 kg @ Ming's
I love the fragrance and flavor of E-fa jasmine tea powder. It includes sugar and non-dairy creamer which temper the bitterness of pure green tea, letting the intense floral aroma of jasmine take center stage. It's readily substitutable in place of cocoa powder in baked goods, but I like it best in frostings, puddings, and beverages which are not heated for a long time. The only problem with this powder is that it contains rather large sugar crystals, so it has to be dissolved in water if you want a smooth texture.



Mayushan Green tea boba
Taiwan
$5.65 / 1 kg @ Ming's
Ingredients: Green tea powder, non-dairy creamer, sugar
This is a delightful green tea powder which is an incredible value for the price. Although it includes sugar, it is only a touch sweet, so you can add it to recipes are you please without worrying about adjusting the sugar. I use it as an all-purpose green tea flavoring for baked goods, frostings, ice cream, and anything else I can think of. Despite its low price it doesn't taste cheap or artificial, so feel free to let your imagination go wild.



Trader Joe's Matcha latte
Needham, MA
$3.99 / 284g = $14.0493 / kg
Ingredients: Cane sugar, nonfat milk, Whey protein, green tea, matcha tea, maltodetrin, tricalcium phosphate, carrageenan, natural flavors, salt
Trader Joe's matcha latte powder has a very nice floral aroma which hits you from when you first open the package. It has a fine texture with a nice flavor, but I don't see any reason to pay so much when you can get the above powders for less at Asian markets.




Trader Joe's instant green tea
$2.99 / 57g = $52.46 / kg
Needham, MA
Ingredients: green tea
This "instant" green tea is very strange. The tea is brown and intensely oxidized, and it is in granulules similar to instant coffee (or some kind of animal chow). The flavor reminds me more of bitter coffee grounds or overbrewed black tea, frankly, but in a pinch it would work in a cake recipe in place of cocoa. The resulting cake can scarcely be distinguished from that made from a low-grade cocoa powder, however.