River & Stone Tea
Diancha "White Matcha" - 20g Tin
Diancha "White Matcha" - 20g Tin
Couldn't load pickup availability
We clean up after ourselves.
Ecommerce deliveries have a carbon footprint. That's why we support verified projects that remove carbon from the air.
Every delivery’s carbon footprint is calculated based on weight, shipping method, and distance traveled. We neutralize these emissions by purchasing verified carbon removal credits from groundbreaking projects.
With your purchase, you’ll join a community of proactive merchants and customers dedicated to a sustainable future. Together, we've removed emissions for over 72 million deliveries and removed over 51 thousand tonnes of carbon.
We work with a network of pioneering carbon removal companies that have been vetted by the commerce platform Shopify.
More Info
About Diancha
Diancha is not matcha (well, not as we normally think of it). That is, it is not made from shade-grown tea leaves. Rather, it is referred to as "White Matcha," as it is made from white tea leaves.
Diancha was the popular form of tea during the Song Dynasty, when the first Japanese monks visited China and tasted tea for the first time. It was made from a sort of dehydrated tea leaf pulp, as the major categories of tea did not yet exist. Given that white tea is the simplest tea to process, most agree that it is the closest we can get to the sort of base tea they would have been using in the 11th and 10th centuries.
Diancha fell out of fashion when loose leaf tea became popular, but now, a few people with mills are trying to bring it back, ourselves included!
It is unlike any other tea we've tasted. It is bright, citrusy, almost tangy. We make ours from a relatively green white tea, which really plays up the fruity character of this tea. It also has a different sort of energy compared to matcha. Whereas matcha is mellow and smooth from all the L-Theanine, Diancha is very energizing and even a little blissful (your mileage may vary on that front), while still being jitter-free!
Origin
The base tea for our Diancha is organically grown in Fuding county, Fujian Prefecture. This is probably the most famous place for white tea production in China.
Milled-To-Order
As with our matchas, our Diancha is milled-to-order by us in Minneapolis. This guarantees the highest percentage of aromatic compounds and antioxidants, as well as a smoother matcha.
-
Shipping Options: Free or Cheap!
Free shipping for orders over $50 and shipping for only $4 to anywhere in the USA for all other orders!
Tasting Notes:
As usucha, all the fragrance notes are more pronounced. Bright, floral, citrusy... with sharpness, high astringency, with a lingering mid-bitterness and soap (to me) aftertaste. A hint of late spring, dry grass also, perhaps. Paired with dates, the bitterness and astringency become a bit subdued, and everything seems to play well on the tongue with the bright notes still standing out.
Now, as a latte? All the notes softened yet also became more nuanced. Florals were notably rose notes. Citrus was more like a clementine citrus. Bitterness disappeared. Astringency was mild. This transformation made me want to come up with all different recipes of tea lattes. But not ones that are heavy on jams and syrups. Things that would complement these notes. I think this is also a wonderful alternative for those who dislike the earthiness of matcha but also might not be wanting a coffee flavor. This is that distinct. Not as heavy as an earl grey but within that floral realm.
Final thoughts:
The flavor difference in this diancha vs this other white tea I'm currently drinking (Hakusei from Ikkyu) are vastly different. I would happily drink this diancha as a latte in the morning with perhaps a spritz of cherry blossom over it come the springtime. Hakusei in the evening for me is still comforting, buttery, sweet, umami.
This was a wild experience because even though I knew it would taste different than matcha, my brain still had certain expectations and the disconnect took a moment to process. It was a whole journey of discovery in a small cup.
This tastes like a delicious loose leaf brew, but with added creaminess from the frothing. It has a sour-sweet note with floral tones that is maybe comparable to yuzu or Meyer lemon. It's bright and has a supporting sweetness that is really pleasant.
There's also really nice herbal/vegetal layer. It's not grassy at all. It reminds me of when you open a sandalwood fan. Again, there's a sweetness to it that I find intriguing and compelling.
And there's also a deep spice note that makes me think of mulling spices. It tastes like someone with a very even hand has added a flavored syrup for the holidays, but it's just the tea being amazing.
I highly recommending trying this, especially if you like teas like red oolong or oriental beauty.
Hi Maria,
Thanks so much for this review! I'm so happy the Diancha impressed you this much - I'm always a little nervous when we launch a new experimental product, so this was great to read :)
All the best,
Simon