I have relatively high expectations when it comes to matcha desserts. My perfect matcha ice cream has got to be pleasantly bitter, astringent and fragrant.
In 2016, legendary Japan tea company Suzukien collaborated with sweets factory Nanaya Matcha to develop a gelato of the darkest and richest intensity.
The result? The strongest matcha gelato in the world.
Nanaya sources their matcha exclusively from Fujieda City in Shizuoka Prefecture, an area renowned for the production of green tea.
Uji matcha is more well-known in the realm of desserts, but the quality can get inconsistent as it is typically sourced from different prefectures.
This collaboration yielded matcha gelato in seven degrees of varying intensity, with No. 1 (bottom left corner) being the lightest, and No. 7 (top right corner) being the thickest and most intense.
Matcha Gelato No. 1 (JP¥340 for a single cup) is light and subtle, with the sweetness of fresh Hokkaido milk. It is more or less on par with commercially-produced matcha ice cream.
Matcha Gelato No. 3 is regarded as the “standard”: the benchmark for balanced, good-quality matcha ice cream.
Matcha Gelato Premium No. 7 ( JP¥530 for a single cup) is the deepest intensity of matcha one could ever hope for in ice cream. Customers have likened its taste to eating pure matcha, without the overwhelming bitterness.
If you’re not up for matcha, take your pick from other gelato flavours like Black Sesame, Dainagon Adzuki Bean and Brown Rice Tea (Genmaicha).
Suzukien x Nanaya’s matcha gelato can be found at Suzukien Asasuka and at all Nanaya outlets in Japan.
I would love to give the Level 7 matcha gelato a try. Any fellow matcha fanatics dying to get your hands on this?
Dates & Times: Available at Suzukien’s Asakusa outlet and all Nanaya Matcha outlets
Prices: JP¥340 – JP¥360 (single No. 1 – No. 6 gelato), JP¥530 – JP¥550 (single No. 7 gelato)
