The Connoisseur Set

What's in The Connoisseur Set

The Connoisseur Set contains the Japanese Matcha Tea Set — the complete four-piece tool setup for traditional matcha preparation — paired with Reserve Matcha, the highest grade in the My Infusa range.

The four tools in the Japanese Matcha Tea Set:

• Bamboo Matcha Whisk (Chasen) — 100 prongs, handmade. At Reserve grade, the quality of the froth directly affects how the flavour is experienced. The 100-prong chasen produces the fine, even froth this matcha deserves.
• Bamboo Scoop (Chashaku) — consistent measuring. Reserve Matcha rewards precise preparation — the right ratio makes the sweetness and umami come through cleanly.
• Ceramic Bowl (Chawan) — wide-based for full whisking range. Warming the bowl before use preserves the temperature of the preparation, which matters more at this grade.
• Ceramic Whisk Stand (Kusenaoshi) — correct storage between uses. Keeps the chasen's prongs in shape for the fine froth Reserve Matcha deserves at every preparation.

What Makes Reserve Matcha Different

Reserve Matcha is a first-harvest, ultra-premium matcha — made from the earliest and most flavour-dense leaves of the spring growing season. These first-flush leaves, known in Japan as ichibancha, differ fundamentally from later harvests:

• Higher concentration of L-theanine — responsible for the smooth, sweet, umami-rich flavour
• More chlorophyll — producing the most vivid, luminous green in the entire range
• No opportunity to develop the tannins that cause bitterness in more mature leaves
• Stone-ground slowly at low temperature to preserve the most delicate aromatic compounds

The result in the cup is categorically different from Ceremonial Grade — not simply better, but more complex and more layered. Profound natural sweetness, the deepest umami, an ultra-silky texture, and a long finish that develops over several sips.

How to Prepare Reserve Matcha

1. Warm the ceramic bowl with a small pour of hot water, then discard
2. Measure approximately 1.5–2g (one level bamboo scoop) of Reserve Matcha into the bowl
3. Add 70–80ml of water at 70–80°C — temperature matters especially here; above 85°C flattens the flavour
4. Whisk briskly in a W or M motion for 20–30 seconds, keeping the chasen near the surface
5. Drink immediately, while the froth is intact

Reserve Matcha is best prepared simply — warm water only, full attention to the cup. Milk works exceptionally well here too, but the most revealing way to experience it is without anything else in the bowl.

Who The Connoisseur Set Is For

The Connoisseur Set is the right choice in two situations:

• Already know ceremonial matcha — and want to understand what first-harvest quality adds. This is the answer.
• As a gift — the most complete, most considered matcha experience My Infusa offers. A gift that makes it immediately clear you took it seriously.

A Note on Availability

Reserve Matcha is produced in small batches from a single first-harvest season. Once that supply is gone, it cannot be restocked until the following year. Availability cannot be guaranteed year-round. My Infusa stocks all products locally in Malta with fast delivery across the island.