Full Description
This grower harvests his fields only once a year during the spring, and transforms this one harvest into a beautiful, organic Tencha, the raw material for what becomes an extremely high-quality, Imperial/Heritage grade Matcha.
Located in the Fushimi district in Kyoto, bounded by the Uji River, this family-operated, 20 acre tea garden is 100-years-old. For the last 45 years, the family has been cultivating strictly organic tea on this beautiful, pristine farm, and is the recipient of many prestigious awards. The producer utilizes ancient cultivating and processing methods such as rice straw canopies and is dedicated to completely natural, traditional enrichment and protective measures, such as the use of straw, rapeseed oil and fish scraps for fertilizer and coconut oil and the encouragement of natural predators for pest management. These measures, along with meticulous management of the shading process, maximize the flavor of the final product. Every spring, the farmer and his team of highly-skilled helpers hand-harvest the precious tea leaves, ensuring the unparalleled excellence of every batch.
The fields are sheltered a minimum of 35 days before harvest under a double layered cover that blocks 95% of the sunlight from reaching the delicate leaves. As a result, the leaves grow very thin, which is ideal for traditional grinding in a stone mill. They also stay tender, while developing high amounts of L-Theanine, the amino acid responsible for the smooth, umami flavor found in high-quality Japanese green teas.
We recommend consuming straight, with simply water, whisked or blended like an espresso, or alternatively, a hot or iced americano style (more water added after whisking).
The flavors and fragrance of this matcha are complex but also delicate and could be lost with the amount of milk/sweetener typically used in a latte. If you decide to use milk, go easy (cortado/cappuccino size), but we do recommend tasting the tea first on its own to fully appreciate the flavor and quality.
We Taste
Spring Cream. Rich Umami. Macadamia Nut.