Glossary · chemistry

Umami (うまみ)

Savory, brothy taste driven by amino acids such as L-theanine and glutamate.

What umami means

Umami is the fifth basic taste, characterized as savory or brothy and identified with glutamate and related amino acids. In matcha it comes mainly from L-theanine and glutamic acid concentrated by shading. Producers and writers from Ippodo to Hugo Tea use umami as the central marker that separates fresh, well-shaded matcha from older or sun-grown leaf.

Also called

Umami also appears as savory taste.

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