Teapro Subscription Box: ‘Never Too Matcha’ March 2020
March is the very beginning of springtime, when the first few buds emerge and you’re eagerly awaiting the soft warm sunlight. Matcha is the perfect tea for this month!
In my review of the ‘Never Too Matcha’ box from Teapro, you’re going to discover exactly why. If you’re unsure about matcha, then this is your opportunity to get better acquainted before you dive in.
Quick Summary
A lovely matcha box that includes 3 items as well as matcha from Teapro. This makes it an excellent box for beginners as it equips you with everything you need to get started, and it also makes an excellent gift.
I’d recommend it for: anyone who is intimidated by matcha.
Pros – great tools included!
- Lovely bamboo whisk, scoop and bowl included
- Makes a lovely gift
Cons – a bit vague.
- Instructions to make matcha aren’t great
- Not much matcha included (not surprising considering the cost)
What's in the Box?
This box was heavy! My postman handed it to me with care when it arrived on time, as usual. Thankfully, everything arrived in perfect condition, wedged carefully in the usual Teapro box. After getting everything out to examine it, I actually had a hard time slotting it all back into the box and closing the lid. So, consider making a place for your matcha bowl on your tea shelf.
In this month’s box:
- 30g Ceremonial Grade Matcha
- Purple bamboo matcha whisk
- Purple bamboo matcha scoop
- Ceramic matcha bowl
- 1x sticker for March subscription
- Matcha booklet with details about the tea included
If this is your first Teapro box, you’ll also receive a tasting wheel, sticker booklet and 3-piece glass infuser included. Read my review for those in the June 2019 teapro subscription review.
Matcha Booklet
The matcha booklet is very informative and interesting. It delves into the history of matcha and covers how it is made… but the instructions for actually making matcha (the most important part) are really lacking. You can read my in-depth thoughts about these instructions, plus how I made matcha successfully, further down this article.
Personally, I won’t be keeping this booklet once I’m finished reviewing it.
Bamboo Whisk and Matcha Scoop
Honestly, I admired the scoop for a good 5 minutes when I opened the box. The wood is perfectly smooth and it’s just really pleasant to run your fingers down it!
The whisk confused me, however. It was compactly curled up in its plastic tube and the first time you use it, it will unfurl a little with the hot water. That’s completely normal, but it really panicked me! I wish there was a warning of that in the booklet, so you don’t get in a panic when you think you’ve broken it.
Bamboo is very lightweight and inexpensive, but that doesn’t give the whisk and scoop a poor-quality feel at all.
Ceramic Matcha Bowl
I do love this bowl. It’s well-made and doesn’t feel like a factory-made generic or poor quality matcha bowl. On the other hand, it’s not exactly artisan either. I’ve long dreamed of owning a hand-crafted, slightly rustic matcha bowl… but those really are expensive.
Nonetheless, it’s perfect for a beginner and Teapro package it up well so it won’t break in transit. To my delight, it’s wrapped up in brown paper rather than plastic bubble wrap. Thank you Teapro!
Teapro Matcha Review
Izzy's Rating
4.3/5
- Amount: 30g
- Origin: Japan
- Flavour notes: Grassy, astringent, sweet umami
- Quality: Excellent
You get 30g of matcha powder in your resealable Teapro bag… and I’m instantly seeing the benefit of keeping your matcha in a jar! Try not to open the bag with too much force, or just like icing sugar and flour, it flies up into the air. It also clogs up easily, so take extra care to ensure no moisture gets in the bag.
The dry powder has a deep umami aroma, which is an odd sort of savoury flavour that’s also sweet. It also smells very green, like springtime, and deep. It’s not a light or shallow aroma. Something about it reminds me of seaweed.
Once whisked up (see instructions below), the aroma doesn’t really transform much at all. It’s just a little bit weaker than the dry powder aroma.
As for the flavour, the matcha is lightly sweet with grassy notes. The umami savoury flavour is strong but not bitter and it lasts long into the aftertaste. The foam I managed to whip up has more of an astringent quality. It reminds me of sipping the milk foam off a coffee (something I’ve only had once, as I’m not a fan of coffee) and being shocked at how sour it tastes. It looks creamy but don’t let that fool you. The texture is smooth, however.
I drank a whole bowl full at about 1 in the afternoon. I struggled immensely to sleep later that night, but whether that was the matcha or another factor is hard to work out. Just knowing that matcha is high in caffeine might have been enough to create a placebo effect. Regardless, I wouldn’t recommend drinking a vast amount of matcha after midday unless you’re desensitised to caffeine.
How to Make Matcha Tea
The instructions from Teapro in the video above are way better than what’s included in the booklet! It doesn’t mention how much water you should add initially, or what level of froth you should be looking for.
I struggled to make matcha with just the booklet instructions and got very frustrated, very quickly. After all, matcha is expensive and you don’t want to waste loads!
This image shows my third attempt, still following the Teapro instructions in the booklet:
And here’s the best matcha I made, by ignoring Teapro’s instructions and winging it a bit:
The key I found was to not be frugal with your matcha. I added 4 “scoops” to my matcha bowl before whisking hard for about 3 minutes. Once you add the sieving step (not in the booklet) and work out how much water to add in the first step (also not specified in the booklet), you’re on your way to be a matcha pro.
Side note: a “scoop” is not a unit of measurement. As someone who weighs tea to the gram, I find it very frustrating to deal with these instructions. Each time I scooped up some matcha using the scoop included, a different volume of green powder came out the packet. I hate imprecision!
I’m still mastering the art of whisking. My weak arms struggle to move fast enough to get a good froth, but nonetheless I did make a tasty cup of matcha tea in the end.
Is This Teapro Box Worth the Cost?
Yes, I believe it is worth the cost. The bowl is high quality, plus the scoop and whisk are lovely – even though bamboo isn’t particularly expensive, it is traditional and has a lovely feel. Add this to your ceremonial grade matcha, and I firmly believe that you’re getting a great discount by purchasing this Teapro subscription instead of buying everything separately.
My only issue is that they should have put more time into the booklet. It goes on about the history of matcha when, really, they should focus on the method to help true beginners like me. That’s the kind of value I pay extra for. Teapro need to add instructions that make the entire experience smoother.
Final Verdict
I would highly recommend you buy this box to anyone who’s interested in matcha. Compared to matcha kits that I’ve eyed up on Amazon in the past, the cost is very reasonable and you get a decent amount of matcha (for the price).
Check out this box on Teapro or search for matcha on Amazon to find them yourself.