Category: Green Tea
Origin: JAPAN, Mie Prefecture, Yokkaichi Town, Suizawa area.
Cultivar: Oku Midori
Quantity: 30g per can
Harvest: Spring (May)
 
Location:
Suizawa is located at the foot of Suzuka mountain. The climate is warm and the has a large temperature amplitude between day and night. It gets moderate rainfall but the soil being porous offers good drainage. The most represented and respectable tea produced in Mie is called Kabusecha (See the Mie Ise Kabusecha page for details of this particular product). Kabuse means “cover”. When shaded for prolonged periods of 20 days or more, the tea can be used for Gyokuro or Matcha production.
 
It is assumed that tea cultivation in the Ise district began in the Heian Period (794 to 1185) when monks planted tea seeds and transmitted their know-how to apprentices until today. Tea made in Mie prefecture is generally called Ise tea even when not made in Ise town.
 
Mie was the main producing tea region during the Meiji era when tea (including red/black tea) was exported to the US and to Europe but is still a major producing area.
 
Today, Mie is the 3rd producing prefecture of tea in Japan by quantity. Despite this status, few people even in Japan are aware of Mie tea (or Ise tea). This is due to the fact that Mie tea has been sold to other regions as excellent blending material to produce famous teas from Kyoto, Shizuoka and Fukuoka.
 
Description:
Remember: "ceremonial" matcha does not exist and is a scam attribute used out of Japan only for marketing purpose. This Matcha is made using the classic Japanese process with Tencha as intermediate product. 
 
The cultivar is very important when it comes to Matcha production as it considerably affects the taste. Oku Midori is a cross-breeding product between Yabukita and a Zairai (seed grown) from Shizuoka. It is particularly good for making Gyokuro and Matcha because of its ability to develop a good umami characteristic. All good matcha is produced using the spring harvested tea (in that case beginning of May) and shaded for 20 days before being picked.
 
This matcha is light and pleasant, without bitterness or astringency. This might be our entry level Matcha but this is still a premium product.
 
Preparation:
Use 3g (0.10 oz) of matcha powder in a bowl. We recommend to sieve the powder with a screen to avoid the formation of lumps.
Pour slowly 120ml of water at 80°C (176°F)
Whisk (preferably with a Chazen) until it foams
 
For a cold preparation, follow the same procedure as above but use cold or room temperature water instead.