Hi all! Recently opened up a 20g pack of Ummon and wanted to ask your experience with it. I bought mine about a month ago and was saving it for a special occasion. Lo and behold, I finally opened it up yesterday and was super excited. But after all that waiting, I found myself getting disappointed because it was so different from what I expected.
Upon opening the pack, I took a whiff of the powder and found it fragrant, but faint. Taking a peek, I also realized the color was not as bright green; it appeared to have a slightly yellowish tint to it.
Tried it as a koicha first and was pleasantly surprised by the vegetal notes reminiscent of watercress. However, I was very taken aback with how bitter and astringent it was? 😭 Tiktok reviews highlighted how there was barely any bitterness and astringency in Ummon, so I felt really blindsided.
Tried it as an usucha the second time around as that was allegedly the best method in a lot of reviews online. This was interesting given the savory + briney + earthy + umami notes, and I concur with this being my preferred way to enjoy this powder. However, it still carried a moderate astringency to it.
Lastly, as a latte, it seems to lean on the sweeter side for me; it didn’t seem as bold, punchy, nor umami-forward as some Tiktok reviews made it out to be, so I felt like it lacked complexity as a latte. :<
I wanted to ask if any of you had similar experiences with Ummon? Maybe I’m preparing it wrong? Or is it possible that I got a bad batch/counterfeit item? Should I have tried it immediately after opening and not have waited a month? I wanted to love this so bad because of how expensive it was :< Should I try again? Do you have any tips for how best to enjoy it?