林屋 新兵衛(Hayashiya Shinbe)

I've been really excited for today ever since Yue recommended we try it out. We're looking at Hiyashiya Shinbe!

Many places in Japan are famous for certain foods and cuisine. One thing Kyoto is known for is maccha. And one famous maccha place is Kyo Hayashiya!

Today's restaurant is one of their shops. Some of the shops only sell goods and serve tea, but this cafe also serves some maccha treats!

If you're like me and you tend to think of green tea and maccha as the same thing, that's not quite right! They are made from the same plant, but the similarities end there; the cultivation, processing method, nutritional value, and taste are different. Maccha is generally richer in flavour, tasting more earthy, and has more nutrients.

Since we are at a green tea cafe, of course we have to try the green tea! Yue ordered this drink.
It's very rich and almost a bit salty and bitter. It has a very deep flavour without being overly flowery.
One really nice thing is that the staff gave us instructions on how to refill the tea. I don't know much about tea, so it was interesting to learn a bit.

I'm not a big tea drinker, so I got the cold yuzu because I thought it would have a strong flavour. It's interesting because it has a lemon-like citrus taste without being sour. It's slightly sweet but I wouldn't consider it a sweet drink. There are little bits of yuzu at the bottom, which adds to the flavour but might be an unsettling texture for some.
It's nice and refreshing! However, since I'm not a tea person, it isn't really for me.
I got this drink as part of the tea set with my order.

This is what I ordered. The green dessert that is wrapped in the leaf is called kuzuneri. Kuzuneri is a traditional Japanese sweet though you won't find it at the convenient store or market like you would with dango and mochi. I've never had this before, so this is quite interesting!

It's insanely soft. It holds its shape but it has no resistance when you cut into it. It has a very strong maccha flavour. Although it's made with cream, it's not that creamy. It's a little bit sweet and bitter.

The other dessert that's cut in half is called momotose mochi. Momotose means "a hundred years." I'm not quite sure how it's connected to the mochi, but it sure sounds fancy!

It's sweeter than the kuzuneri, but still not that sweet. The nuts inside have nice walnut taste. It adds something a bit more solid to bite and chew. The powder on the outside isn't super dry; you won't become parched eating it. The maccha flavour is there, but it isn't as prominent as the other desserts. Even though it's mochi, it's soft - softer than any other mochi I've ever had. It's easy to eat because it's not super chewy.

This one is interesting. A lot of the items included seem to be for texture and substance rather than taste.

Take the shiratama for example. It's soft and chewy, kind of like a wet, more solid marshmallow. However it doesn't have much flavour or even sweetness.

The kanten similarly don't have much taste. The maccha kanten have an interesting non-bitter maccha taste. However, they balance out the main part of the treat and add something more solid to bite into.

The maccha fresh cream is hard to describe. It's very...creamy. It's good though! So is the ice cream! Like all good ice cream, it's super smooth and not grainy. It has a nice sweet maccha taste.
Overall I like this one a lot. I think I prefer this one to what I ordered, if only because it's more filling.