(WARNING- This is an in depth review of Encha matcha tea. I am writing this for those who like me are researching and wanting to buy the best matcha as an investment. I am purposely going into detail to provide information to help with buying decisions. If you prefer a short summary, see section marked THE BOTTOM LINE)THIS REVIEW WAS DONE ON PRODUCT PURCHASED AT FULL PRICE BY ME AS REGULAR CUSTOMER--------------I have to be honest with you, I really am not a green tea fan. I just don't like it. Flavored, unflavored, it did not seem to matter. I tried everything to make green tea just right and most of the time, I am just not a fan. There is a blend of green and white jasmine tea I do like, but that is not pure green, so probably does not count. So what am I doing trying matcha? Let me tell you.MATCHA EXPERIENCESome time ago I came upon a tea company who has teas I love. So, they had matcha on sale and it was STILL expensive. I decided to look into matcha. I researched and studied what to look for and made only trying Japanese matcha my goal.I tried a few here and there, but they were bitter, icky tasting, and made me wonder why anyone would bother spending money on that stuff- let alone a LOT of money. I found a little tin of PREMIUM organic GO MATCHA at a store on clearance, so I bought it. It was only $5 and the date was very fresh, and it was from Japan. No one in our area has a clue about stuff like this, so they did not buy it. Is that what matcha is supposed to taste like? Blech.WHAT IS ENCHA MATCHA LIKE?I am not one to let things lie until I have explored them to my satisfaction, so I continued to try matcha and more and more I was becoming turned off. I put the temperature between 170 and 160 and was careful to measure, and then I would froth it just right and drink it- blech. I only tried premium or ceremonial quality - if that was high end, I would hate to see low end.I decided to give matcha one last try and purchased the Encha. When I opened the package, I was greeted by what I had thought was a myth. This stuff is a beautiful spring green powder that borders on neon in color. Now THAT is what I heard matcha was supposed to look like! The powder is fine and the fragrance is actually wonderful. It is reminiscent of Japanese Green Magma and some other green drink supplement powders I used to buy from Swanson Vitamins over the years.HOW DOES THIS MATCHA PREPARE?First let me tell you how I prepared this matcha.- I heated water to 160 degrees-I put 1/4 tsp in a cup (I like matcha a bit weaker at this point than the usual 1/2 tsp)-I poured about 4 oz of water over the top of the matcha (no, I did not sift)-I used the I'm just so blown away by this tea!! Probably the best name for it is an antioxidant powerhouse!!I purchased this for it's detox and anti aging benefits. It's very popular in model circles for these reasons, as well as a way to prevent cellulite and treat existing cellulite. However, I wasn't expecting all of the added benefits that come with this powerful tea!For the longest time my mum's been drinking green tea (tea bags), which I avoided because of the bitter taste. I started with regular tea bags, but after some research I discovered that the tea bags only contain 26mg of antioxidants (egcg, catechins) and the leaves are lower grade/cheap, hence why buying tea bags is so much cheaper. Also some tea bags have been found to contain metals from the soils. The loose leaf green tea is a bit higher in antioxidants, but the most superior one I found was Teavana Green Tea Gyokuro, which contains 86mg of antioxidants, so that one is the highest you'll find of a loose leaf green tea. Well, guess what?!! This matcha powder contains 240mg of antioxidants!!! This is superior to all green teas you'll find, because the leaves have been ground into a powder, so you're actually eating them! This is like drinking 9 cups of green tea (bags)!! My mum has truly been wasting her time with the tea bags!I really can't say enough great things about this tea. This is the only Matcha powder I've tried, so I don't have anything to compare this to, but it works for me, so I don't need to try anything else. This truly is a miracle tea. It's a powerhouse of antioxidants, and I just don't know how I've lived so long without this.The first two days I was going to the bathroom a lot. I figured this tea was helping me to flush out toxins. Just letting you know that you may experience this, but it's normal, as you're feeding your body with a large dose of antioxidants which it's not used to. You will settle down and this will keep you regular. I'm on a high protein and low carb diet, so this has really helped me to stay regular because of my diet. You might want to consider starting this on the weekend to see how you react to it, so you're not rushing to the bathroom constantly at work.One instantly noticeable benefit from this tea is how much energy it gives me, and how calming it is. I suffer from anxiety, and this tea calms me and has such a big effect on my mood for the day. I wasn't expecting this at all. Very healing! But then this is a ceremonial tea, meaning that Buddhist monks (who only pick the best teas) use it in their ceremonies. They go for long periods fasting and meditating, so they need the best teas to energize and calm them, and this is one of those teas!I've noticed my skin is a lot clearer and healthy looking. Since I was about 15 I had some small bumps on the backs of my arms (not noticeable, but could be felt if you ran your fingers over them). After day 1 of taking this the bumps have gone!!! Whatever inflammation was causing the bumps, this tea took care of that inflammation! It's left my skin glowing and soft, truly the benefits can be seen from the inside-out. There are numerous articles that claim matcha can help in preventing dementia and Alzheimer's, as it's great for the brain. It helps protect you against cancer and other diseases, and the list is endless. It also suppresses your appetite a bit, meaning you eat less calories, so it aids in weight loss.Just like you clean the outside of your body when you take a shower, this tea is like taking a clorox wipe to your insides. Whenever you are exposed to the elements you're taking in harmful free radicals and toxins into your body. These build up in your body and attack your cells, one of the effects is that you age quicker too. I love the taste and don't find it too bitter at all! I try to drink every last drop in my mug to get the full benefits of it! I would recommend drinking as is, rather than adding honey or something else to it. Why "contaminate" it with anything.I love this tea so much I've subscribed for a monthly order!!SOME TIPS:*Don't drink this after 5pm! I made this mistake the first day, since I couldn't wait to try it, and it kept me up that night, since it does contain caffeine. (I'm sensitive to caffeine as I don't drink coffee)*Don't drink it at the same time you eat food. Matcha tea is a nutrient blocker, so make sure you digest everything first so your body gets its nutrients without interference from the tea.*Drink one of your servings before you work out. The Matcha increases your metabolism and burns even more fat if you take just before a workout.*Don't exceed 3 servings per day, because of the caffeine content. They recommend 4 servings for cancer patients but 2-3 servings for everyone else. I usually do the first serving when I wake up, and the 2nd serving just before i workout (so spread out throughout the day)*Pay attention to your body. If you start getting headaches then decrease your servings. They say that headaches can be the result of iron deficiency, which can occur through an excessive intake of green tea.*When adding the hot water to the powder it gets a bit lumpy at the bottom. Best way to avoid this is to pour a tiny amount of cold water into your mug first to mix the powder into a slight paste, before then adding the hot water. Make sure you start whisking the powder as you're pouring the hot water in. So much easier than dealing with leftover bits at the bottom of your mug that get wasted!I bought this expensive Matcha expecting Ceremonial grade but ended up with an inferior Latte Grade. Clearly it has been labelled as Ceremonial grade. I feel cheated by AmazonThis is incredible! Hands down the best matcha I have ever had. Doesn't taste horribly bitter like other brand's and just tastes and feels so smooth and nice to drink. Honestly even the latte grade was drinkable with just hot water haha. I've had the pleasure of interacting with the customer support team (specifically Nikki) who has been an amazing help in communicating the problems with labelling at the fulfillment center. Just so it's clear, the bad review left was because Amazon screwed up the labelling. Now everything is fixed and labelled as it should be and I now have my favourite drink I look forward to in the morning! So thank you Encha and for your generosity in answering my questions and allowing me to help with showing labels and barcodes. One thing I would love though, is a subscribe and save option potentially in the future. Regarding the drink though, it's smooth and delicious.Best Matcha I have tried. more expensive than others, but worth it.This matcha has a vibrant and smooth taste, and its natural sweetness means that it can be consumed without needing to do anything fancy such as adding vanilla syrups, sugar, or honey.I'm by no means a matcha expert, but I was enjoying the ceremonial grade matcha from David's Tea, but it grew harder to attain and was expensive. The Encha ceremonial matcha is fresh and brightly coloured. I like to sift mine and there were no clumps at all and it froths up nicely. The taste is lighter and softer than others I've tried and a little sweeter.Overall great value, will buy again.