It is 11 p.m. as I write this.
I have suddenly developed an overwhelming desire to eat ramen. But if I eat a bowl of ramen at this hour, I will almost certainly gain weight, so I am resisting the temptation by watching videos of ramen restaurants preparing their soup and noodles on YouTube.
Ramen, like matcha, has become enormously popular outside Japan.
Recently, I came across a video in which a foreign resident of Japan was explaining Japanese ramen etiquette to international visitors.
“Japanese people slurp their ramen to show the chef that it tastes good and to express their respect.”
“The correct way to eat ramen is: first, place the noodles on a spoon; second, slurp the noodles from the spoon; and third, drink the soup remaining in the spoon.”
I could not help laughing.
It is true that many Japanese people slurp their ramen.
But we do not do it to show respect to the chef.
We do it simply because it makes the noodles easier to eat.
Slurping helps us bring hot noodles into the mouth, and taking in air at the same time can make their aroma easier to appreciate. It is a way of eating that many of us acquire naturally from childhood.
Just as we do not consciously think through every movement when using chopsticks, most Japanese people do not think carefully about how to slurp ramen. We simply do it.
Nor do we consider people who do not slurp to be rude. Eating noodles quietly is not a breach of etiquette.
Japanese people are not thinking, “I must tell the chef how delicious this is,” each time they lift their noodles.
We are simply enjoying our ramen.
From the Outside, Culture Can Look Like a Set of Rules
Many people outside Japan make a sincere effort to understand and respect Japanese culture.
At the same time, habits that Japanese people acquire naturally through everyday life are sometimes presented overseas as strict etiquette or compulsory rules.
That interpretation often comes from a genuine desire to be respectful.
But from a Japanese perspective, we sometimes find ourselves thinking:
“We really do not make it quite that complicated.”
The same thing can happen with matcha.
What Surprises Me About Matcha Culture Overseas
I have been involved with Japanese tea ceremony and Uji matcha for nearly twenty years.
Because of that experience, I am sometimes surprised by how matcha culture has developed outside Japan.
There are matcha lattes made with oat milk, almond milk or coconut milk.
There are mango, strawberry and pumpkin-spice matcha drinks.
From a Japanese perspective, we may occasionally wonder whether the flavour of the matcha itself has disappeared beneath all the other ingredients.
Although, to be fair, Japanese people also add sugar, lemon and milk to black tea.
These new matcha drinks have developed within local food cultures and lifestyles.
In recent years, matcha has become part of everyday life in many countries as an alternative to coffee, energy drinks and smoothies. It is therefore natural that it has evolved differently from the way it is traditionally enjoyed in Japan.
I have no intention of rejecting these new ways of drinking matcha.
There is no single correct way to enjoy it. If it tastes good to you, that is reason enough to enjoy it.
There is, however, one practice I cannot recommend:
Preparing matcha with boiling water at 100°C, or 212°F.
Outside Japan, matcha is often presented primarily as a health drink. As a result, some people prepare it in the same way as coffee, pouring boiling water directly onto the powder.
Matcha, however, is a very delicate tea.
When boiling water is poured directly onto it, its aroma and umami can become less noticeable, while bitterness and astringency are more easily brought forward.
Simply lowering the water temperature to around 70–80°C, or 158–176°F, can dramatically change the sweetness, umami and aroma of the finished tea.
This is not merely a rule of tea ceremony.
It is practical knowledge developed to make matcha taste its best.
As a general guide, matcha and sencha are often prepared at around 70–80°C. Gyokuro is usually better at approximately 50–60°C, or 122–140°F, while hōjicha and bancha are well suited to water close to boiling.
Each kind and quality of tea has a temperature range that brings out its character most effectively.
There Is Also Considerable Confusion About Quality
Another issue that concerns me is matcha quality.
Outside Japan, yellowish matcha with a strongly bitter taste is sometimes sold as “Ceremonial Grade,” implying that it is suitable for tea ceremony or represents the highest level of quality.
Some products differ considerably in quality and production method from what would generally be recognised as matcha in Japan.
It is not unusual to see matcha that would normally be used for confectionery in Japan presented overseas as a premium drinking tea.
This is not the fault of overseas consumers.
Many people have simply had very few opportunities to encounter genuinely high-quality matcha.
Their Expression Changes When They Taste It
This is why the reactions of international customers tasting high-quality Uji matcha for the first time are so memorable.
“It isn’t bitter.”
“It tastes sweet, even though there is no sugar.”
“I have never seen such a vivid green colour.”
“It does not need milk or syrup.”
We hear comments like these surprisingly often.
Friends of mine who rarely drink matcha have reacted in much the same way.
It is the moment when their entire idea of matcha begins to change.
People outside Japan were not necessarily satisfied with low-quality matcha.
In many places, there were simply very few alternatives available. They had little opportunity to compare different qualities or to experience what carefully produced matcha could taste like.
What We Hope to Share
At Maru Take Ebisu, we visit tea-producing regions, speak directly with producers and taste the teas ourselves before introducing them to our customers.
We do not wish to reject the Matcha Culture that is developing overseas.
Matcha lattes, desserts and flavoured drinks are all valid ways to enjoy matcha.
As a Japanese person, I do think ramen tastes better when it is slurped. But eating it without slurping is also perfectly fine.
There is no need to force yourself to follow a supposedly correct rule.
At the same time, as someone who works professionally with matcha, I would also like people to discover what lies beyond matcha lattes and sweetened drinks: the original flavour and character of high-quality Uji matcha.
That is what we hope to share.
Culture Grows Out of Everyday Life
To people looking in from outside, slurping ramen or preparing matcha may appear to be part of a special culture governed by strict rules.
For Japanese people, however, these things are often much simpler.
We slurp ramen because it is easier to eat that way.
We use chopsticks because they are practical and familiar.
We prepare matcha at a suitable temperature because it tastes better.
What lies behind these habits is not always etiquette.
It is knowledge accumulated through everyday life.
Culture, I believe, is not merely a collection of rules decided by someone in authority. It is a set of habits and practical wisdom developed gradually by people over many generations.
That is why I hope to continue sharing Japanese culture with the world, not as a difficult system of formal rules, but through the natural wisdom, craftsmanship and deliciousness that exist behind it.
Ramen eaten late at night is one of life’s greatest pleasures.
It also makes you gain weight.
Perhaps that is one truth that can cross every cultural boundary.
Ahhh, I really want ramen.
Read this article in Japanese>>>
