- Japanese handmade and organic matcha green tea price per kg -

We deal in high quality matcha for use in traditional Japanese tea ceremony

(made by Yamamasa-Koyamaen)

We carry every item related to tea ceremony.

We are top in the number of tea ceremony supplies stocked.

Please contact us about any matcha or tea ceremony supplies not listed below.

We will be happy to assist.

Product Description

This explains the process of making high quality matcha.

[Yamamasa Koyamaen, locally sourced in Uji, Kyoto.]

1. Covering— By shielding the tea leaves from sunlight, they grow soft and thin,

with their color a vibrant and deep emerald green.

Amino acids increase, lending a pleasant flavor to the tea,

and producing the characteristic "ooika" or covered aroma.

2. Harvesting— Tencha (whole tea leaves before they are ground to become matcha)

are harvested around 20 days after being covered.

This is work which requires patience and skill.

To preserve the quality of the tea, Koyamaen tencha is only harvested once per year.

3. Steaming— Steaming the sprouts stops the effect of the oxidizing enzymes within

the tea. If fermented without being steamed, the leaves will become black tea,

or semi-fermented oolong tea. As the first step in the manufacturing process,

this steaming stage is also when the important process of quality control takes place.

4. Drying— Tencha leaves are laid flat when drying.

If the leaves are massaged while drying, they will become "gyokuro", or jade-dew tea.

5. Preparation— When drying is completed, the tencha tea is called "aracha" or

unrefined tea. This stage is when the veins of are removed from the full leaf.

6. Refining— The finishing touches of the drying process for the now-sorted tencha.

The technical term is "neri" or refining,

and influences the flavor of the final matcha product.

7. Selecting— Dried leaves easily conduct static electricity.

This property is utilized by an electric sorting machine,

which sorts out the smaller amount of old leaves.

8. Storing— Prepared tencha should not be stored for long periods after being ground

into matcha. However, tencha can mature well if well stored in cool,

dehumidified conditions, so that when unsealed in November after being stored for

the summer, the rich aroma and full bodied flavor has heightened.

For this reason, prepared Koyamaen tencha is stored either in cool storage or frozen to

draw out the mature flavor, and then ground into matcha on demand.

9. Inspecting— Factors such as a tea plantation's fertilization management,

its location, harvesting time, weather conditions and manufacturing process all have

their effect on the characteristics of the tencha produced.

Specialists with senses honed by many years of experience and

acumen perform the inspection.

The fully-inspected and classified tencha is then blended using the different flavor

profiles of each in order to create a tea based on the three essentials—

color, aroma and flavor.

10. Grinding— Even in this age of mechanization, nothing has surpassed the stone

mortar for grinding tea. However, factors such as the mortar's setting and the precision

finishing of its surface require highly delicate adjustments.

Skill in these techniques will produce matcha with a smooth and mouth-melting texture.

* We offer matcha for sale in the quantity and form of your choosing

(may be limited due to availability)
* We also carry many items for use in Japanese tea ceremony.

Please feel free to contact us with any question about tea ceremony supplies.