Tencha (the leaf that becomes matcha), gyokuro and kabusecha are all shade-grown teas from Uji. Only two things separate them: the length of shading (20 days or more for tencha and gyokuro, around 14 days for kabusecha) and one processing decision — whether the steamed leaves are kneaded. Tencha is the only one that is never kneaded, and that is why only tencha can become matcha.

"I saw a product called gyokuro powder. How is it different from matcha?" A very good question, because the two teas grow under almost identical conditions. Part five of 

In April, as the new buds begin to appear, the entire garden is covered with reed screens, straw or synthetic cloth to block direct sunlight. In the leaf, sunlight converts the umami amino acid theanine into astringent catechins; blocking the light suppresses that conversion, so the tea stays low in astringency and rich in umami. Starved of light, the leaves also produce more chlorophyll and grow thinner, softer and a deeper green.

 is the traditional method: a shelf of logs and bamboo is built over the garden, reed screens are spread across it, and straw is layered on top. The modern method uses steel frames and black synthetic cloth, usually in two layers for ventilation so the garden does not overheat. The goal in both cases is the same — a cool, humid, dim environment around the young buds.

Gyokuro vs. tencha comes down to kneading.

 Shading conditions are almost the same. Gyokuro is kneaded into slender needles and designed to release its flavor into hot water. Tencha is dried flat, stripped of stems and veins so only the leaf flesh remains, and then ground into matcha.

Kabusecha vs. gyokuro comes down to shading time.

 Two weeks of cover gives kabusecha a character that keeps sencha's aroma while adding a layer of umami.

No. Powdered gyokuro is made from kneaded leaves, not tencha. Grinding a kneaded leaf produces a different particle, with a different feel on the palate when whisked into water. In the same way, ground sencha is "green tea powder," not matcha. The word matcha belongs only to 

Does longer shading always mean better matcha?

Longer shading gives deeper umami and color, but it also stresses the plant and raises cost. The ideal shading period depends on the use — usucha, latte or pastry.

Because the shelves are built by hand and the reed screens and straw are added in stages as the buds grow. The labor is on a different scale, so honzu is reserved for the very top grades of tencha and gyokuro.

Learning Ujicha, part 5 of 10. Next: Ichibancha, Nibancha, Sanbancha — How Harvest Timing Works in Uji.

Curious what a 20-day-shaded tencha tastes like as matcha? We're happy to send samples. 📩 

Request a sample or get in touch with our team

Tencha, Gyokuro, Kabusecha: Three Shade-Grown Teas, Three Different Results

The value of hand-picking is not the hand itself — it is the choice. A picker can decide, bud by bud, exactly which leaves to take. In Uji's tradition, the finest grade is "two-leaf picking": the bud and the first pair of leaves. Because hand-picking demands enormous time and labor, even in Uji it is now reserved for top-grade tencha and gyokuro, while sencha is harvested with shears or machines.

"Is hand-picked matcha really that different from machine-picked?" The honest answer is: it depends on what you're buying it for. Part seven of 

 explains what hand-picking actually changes.

Uji's tea-growing families have handed down three levels of picking:

The closer a leaf is to the tip, the younger, softer and more concentrated it is. Two-leaf picking gives the lowest yield and gathers only the most delicate material on the plant.

A harvesting machine cuts the surface of the bush at a fixed height. A young bud and a slightly older leaf at the same height are cut together. A picker looks at each shoot and decides: "this one, down to the second leaf," "this one isn't ready." 

 — that is the essence of hand-picking.

Uji's tea makers are famously particular about hand-picking the first flush, and for their finest tencha and gyokuro that tradition has not changed for a very long time.

The answer is simple: it costs an enormous amount of time and money. The first-flush window lasts only a few weeks, and a large team of skilled pickers must be assembled for exactly that period. That is why ordinary gardens producing sencha use shears and machines — and, in doing so, deliver very good tea to the whole of Japan at reasonable prices.

"Hand-picked or machine-picked" is therefore less a question of quality ranking than of 

which price band and which use the tea is designed for

. Hand-picking makes sense for a top-grade matcha whisked bowl by bowl as usucha. Demanding it for a latte-grade matcha rarely justifies the cost.

Can you tell hand-picked matcha by looking at it?

Not reliably as a powder. As tencha leaf, you can see differences in the uniformity of the fragments and the near-absence of stems. In practice, rely on a trustworthy supplier's explanation.

Can machine-picked tencha make good matcha?

Yes. With careful sorting afterward to remove stems and older leaves, machine-picked tencha produces excellent matcha. Most ceremonial-grade matcha intended for lattes is machine-picked.

Learning Ujicha, part 7 of 10. Next: Temomi — The 4-Hour Hand-Rolling Craft Behind Modern Sencha.

Curious how a hand-picked tencha compares with a machine-picked one? We're happy to send samples. 📩 

One Bud, Two Leaves: The Hand-Picking Tradition of Uji

The sencha the world drinks today descends from the Uji method, established in 1738 by Nagatani Soen of Ujitawara: steamed leaves rolled by hand over a charcoal-heated table until dry. Eight steps, roughly four hours, and 3 kg of leaves become about 600 g of tea. Today's tea machinery reproduces these hand movements, and the craft itself — temomi — is preserved as an intangible cultural asset of Uji City.

"I thought Uji was a matcha region — does it have anything to do with sencha?" It has everything to do with it. Part eight of 

 visits the craft that gave Japan its most popular tea.

Before Soen, most Japanese tea was brownish in color and coarse in aroma. Soen devised a way to roll steamed leaves by hand on a 

 — a table warmed by charcoal — while they dried. Rolling breaks the leaf cells so flavor releases easily into hot water; drying at the same time preserves the green color and lifts the aroma. The result was a green, fragrant tea: the prototype of modern sencha. The method spread to Yamato, Omi and Ise and eventually became the national standard.

Uji-style hand rolling begins with 3 kg of steamed leaves spread on the 

, a wooden frame lined with persimmon-tannin-coated washi paper, set over the hoiro.

The result: 3 kg of steamed leaves become about 600 g of finished tea, in roughly four hours excluding drying.

Modern sencha is made by machine, but the machines — rough roller, kneader, mid-roller, final roller — mechanize each stage of the hand process. To understand temomi is to read the blueprint of every sencha factory. That is why Uji still has preservation societies passing on the technique, and why Uji City protects it as an intangible cultural asset.

Uji, the matcha region, is also the birthplace of sencha's method. That both were born on the same ground is what makes Uji the origin of Japanese tea.

Tiny quantities are made for preservation societies and competitions, at very high prices. The sencha in general circulation is machine-made.

Is there a rolling step for matcha (tencha) too?

No. Tencha is dried without kneading after steaming. "Never kneaded" is precisely what sets tencha apart from every other Japanese tea.

Learning Ujicha, part 8 of 10. Next: What's Inside a Bowl of Matcha? Reading the Ingredient Table.

Interested in visiting our Kyoto growers? Get in touch and we'll help you plan. 📩 

Temomi: The 4-Hour Hand-Rolling Craft Behind Modern Sencha

Matcha is the whole leaf, ground and drunk. That is the one structural fact behind every comparison with steeped teas: when you drink matcha, you consume both the water-soluble components (catechins, caffeine, vitamin C) and the components that never dissolve in water (beta-carotene, vitamin E, fiber). The figures below come from Japan's official food composition tables and describe what is in the leaf — they are not health claims.

"I've heard matcha is high in caffeine — how does it compare to sencha?" The best way to answer is to look at the actual numbers. Part nine of 

The following values are per 100 g of dry tea leaves, from the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan (fifth revised edition, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology).

 — tannin 10.0 g · caffeine 3.2 g · protein & amino acids 30.6 g · fat 5.3 g · carbohydrate 38.5 g · minerals (ash) 7.4 g

 — tannin 10.0 g · caffeine 3.5 g · protein & amino acids 29.1 g · fat 4.1 g · carbohydrate 43.9 g · minerals 6.3 g

 — tannin 13.0 g · caffeine 2.3 g · protein & amino acids 24.5 g · fat 4.7 g · carbohydrate 47.7 g · minerals 5.0 g

 — beta-carotene 29,000 µg · vitamin C 60 mg · vitamin E 28.1 mg · B1 0.60 mg · B2 1.35 mg · niacin 4.0 mg

 — beta-carotene 21,000 µg · vitamin C 110 mg · vitamin E 16.6 mg · B1 0.30 mg · B2 1.16 mg · niacin 6.0 mg

 — beta-carotene 13,000 µg · vitamin C 260 mg · vitamin E 68.1 mg · B1 0.36 mg · B2 1.43 mg · niacin 4.1 mg

 is the astringent component. Sencha has the most; shade-grown matcha and gyokuro have less. The idea that shading suppresses astringency shows up right here in the figures.

 are the umami components, and matcha and gyokuro outscore sencha. Among the amino acids, the one characteristic of tea is theanine.

 is higher in gyokuro and matcha than in sencha — but remember these are per 100 g of leaf. A serving uses very different amounts (about 2 g of matcha, versus about 5 g of sencha leaves that are steeped and discarded), so per-cup intake cannot be read straight off the table.

What Does "Drinking the Whole Leaf" Mean?

Tea's components divide into those that dissolve in water and those that do not. Vitamin C, catechins and caffeine dissolve. Beta-carotene, vitamin E and dietary fiber do not — they stay behind in the spent leaves after steeping.

Sencha and gyokuro are steeped teas: you drink only what dissolved. Matcha is a suspended powder: you drink the leaf itself, insoluble components included. Matcha is the only tea where the numbers in the table go almost entirely into the cup. That structural difference is a useful, factual thing to be able to say — on a menu, in staff training, or when explaining price.

A note on labeling: statements about health effects ("prevents…", "helps with…") are regulated under food-labeling rules in both the EU and the United States. This article deliberately limits itself to composition figures and structure, and we recommend the same caution on menus and social media.

How does the caffeine in one bowl of matcha compare with coffee?

Using the table, a 2 g serving of matcha contains roughly 60–70 mg of caffeine. A typical 150 ml cup of coffee is generally cited at around 60–100 mg, so a bowl of matcha is in a similar or slightly lower range.

Do the components change in a matcha latte?

The matcha itself does not change, but milk and sugar transform the overall composition of the drink.

Learning Ujicha, part 9 of 10. Next: Chakabuki — How Kyoto Tea Masters Train Their Palate.

Need component analysis sheets for your matcha program? Get in touch and we'll share what we have for each lot. 📩 

What's Inside a Bowl of Matcha? Reading the Ingredient Table

Chakabuki is a blind tea-tasting game from Kyoto: several teas are brewed without their names, and participants identify each one by color, aroma and taste. It traces back to tea contests in Song-dynasty China and was popular among samurai and nobles in Muromachi-era Japan, on the path that led to the tea ceremony. The rules are simple enough to run as staff training in any café.

"I want to teach my staff to tell matchas apart — is there a good method?" There is, and it is centuries old. The final article of 

 ends the course the way Kyoto's tea people do: with a tasting.

, sake tasting — the skill of holding sake in the mouth and judging its quality and type. Chakabuki is the tea equivalent.

, tea contests in Song China, and spread in Japan during the Nanbokucho and Muromachi periods as a game among samurai and nobles who drank tea daily. That culture later evolved into 

, the tea ceremony. In Kyoto's tea districts, chakabuki is still held today as skills training for tea professionals and as a public event.

 five kinds of tea, five trays, two teapots, two cups per participant, and about six liters of hot water.

Traditionally the five teas are given code names — 

 — so they can be discussed without revealing them.

What Are Kyoto's Tea Masters Actually Distinguishing?

The classic five in an Uji chakabuki, and how to tell them apart:

 first. Cloudy means deep-steamed sencha or karigane; clear means gyokuro or tencha. Then narrow it down by aroma and sweetness. Two senchas — one from Uji, one from Shizuoka — differ in steaming time, and once you taste them side by side, they are unmistakably different teas.

To run it with matcha, prepare three to five matchas from different regions (Uji, Kagoshima, Yame…) or different grades, whisk them at identical strength, and serve them unnamed. Staff practice putting words to what they taste — "this one has the strongest umami," "this one would hold up in a latte" — and their explanations to customers change immediately. Open it up to customers as an event, and the tasting becomes content in itself.

Five is traditional, but three is plenty to start with.

When running chakabuki with matcha, should I standardize the whisking?

Yes. Keep the amount of matcha, the water temperature and volume, and the whisking time identical — otherwise you are tasting the preparation, not the tea.

Learning Ujicha, part 10 of 10. This completes the series — start again from part 1, Where Is Ujicha Grown?, and the whole region will connect.

Want to run a tasting with matcha from several regions? We're happy to put together a sample set. 📩 

Chakabuki: How Kyoto Tea Masters Train Their Palate

Chanoyu (茶の湯) is the original Japanese art of tea that Sen no Rikyū practiced: preparing matcha deliciously and enjoying it with the person in front of you. Sadō (茶道), “the way of tea,” is the formalized school system built after Rikyū’s death. The difference matters, because the global matcha boom — lattes, cafés, new recipes — is a continuation of chanoyu, not a betrayal of tradition.

Chanoyu, literally “hot water for tea,” is the term used in Sen no Rikyū’s own lifetime (1522–1591). At its heart, it is simple: prepare tea well, and share that one bowl, in that one moment, with your guest.

Rikyū himself was an innovator, not a guardian of rules. He replaced ornate Chinese tea wares with humble raku bowls and grand halls with a two-tatami tea room — radical moves in his day, all in pursuit of a better bowl of tea.

Sadō (“the way of tea”) is the institutionalized form of tea culture that developed after Rikyū’s death. From the Edo period onward, the iemoto (grand master) system codified tea preparation into fixed procedures, licenses, and ranks.

This system preserved tea culture for centuries — without it, Rikyū’s aesthetics might not have survived. But it also developed partly as a business model for teaching and certification, where “correct form” can matter more than “delicious tea.”

Is the matcha latte a betrayal of Japanese tea tradition?

No. A matcha latte made with care is chanoyu in a modern form.

When a barista studies growing regions to make a better latte, when a café owner tastes dozens of matchas to find the right one, when a customer shares that cup with a friend — that is the pure desire to drink tea deliciously and joyfully. The tea room became a café; the bamboo whisk became a milk frother. The spirit is the same.

Would Rikyū have dismissed the matcha latte? We doubt it. He would have asked, more seriously than anyone: how do we make it taste even better?

Why protecting only sadō can shrink the matcha industry

Here is our honest view as a matcha supplier: the stricter the emphasis on form, the more intimidating matcha becomes — and the fewer people drink it. Guarding sadō too preciously can, ironically, limit the growth of the very industry that supplies it.

The chanoyu standard — delicious and joyful — points the other way. Lattes, desserts, and new recipes all become real demand, and that demand flows directly back to tea farmers in Kagoshima and Uji. Every new matcha drinker in the world helps sustain a Japanese tea field.

We source matcha directly from farms in Kagoshima and Uji, Kyoto, and supply cafés and wholesale buyers worldwide. Our work is grounded in the spirit of chanoyu:

	•	Tea should, first and foremost, be delicious

	•	A bowl of tea is for sharing with the person in front of you

	•	Innovation that serves those two things is always welcome

Somewhere in the world right now, someone is drinking matcha and saying “this is delicious.” That is proof that chanoyu is alive, four hundred years on.

Chanoyu (茶の湯) literally means “hot water for tea.” It refers to the practice of preparing and sharing matcha, as embodied by Sen no Rikyū in the 16th century.

Is chanoyu the same as the Japanese tea ceremony?

Not exactly. What English speakers call the “tea ceremony” usually refers to sadō, the formalized school system. Chanoyu is the older, broader idea: enjoying well-prepared tea together.

Sen no Rikyū (1522–1591) was the most influential figure in Japanese tea history. Known for wabi aesthetics, he was a radical innovator who broke conventions to perfect the experience of a single bowl of tea.

Is drinking matcha lattes disrespectful to Japanese culture?

We believe the opposite: enjoying matcha in new ways continues the spirit of chanoyu and directly supports Japanese tea farmers.

Chanoyu vs Sadō: What’s the Difference, and Why It Matters for the Global Matcha Boom

Hojicha comes in light, medium, and dark roasts, and each one tastes noticeably different. For lattes, dark roast is the best choice: its intense toasted aroma cuts through milk, it delivers coffee-level body without the caffeine, and its deep reddish-brown color looks great in the cup.

Alongside the global matcha boom, another Japanese tea is rapidly winning shelf space in cafés around the world: hojicha. With its toasty aroma, low caffeine content, and remarkable ability to play well with milk, hojicha has moved from a quiet after-dinner staple in Japan to a star ingredient on specialty café menus across North America, Europe, and Australia.

But here's something many tea drinkers — and even café owners — don't realize: not all hojicha tastes the same. The roast level fundamentally changes the flavor, aroma, and color of the final cup. In this article, we'll walk through how hojicha is made, the differences between dark, medium, and light roasts, and which roast we recommend for the best hojicha latte.

Hojicha is a Japanese green tea that has been roasted at high temperatures — typically around 200°C (390°F). The starting material can be bancha (mature leaves), sencha (standard green tea), or kukicha (stems), all of which begin as ordinary green tea before being transformed by the roasting process.

The chemistry behind that transformation is the same one that gives coffee, bread, and caramel their irresistible aromas: the Maillard reaction and caramelization. As the sugars and amino acids in the tea leaves react under heat, the leaves shift from green to brown, and entirely new aromatic compounds emerge — toasty, nutty, and sometimes almost chocolaty.

At the same time, much of the catechin (bitterness) and tannin (astringency) in the original green tea breaks down, leaving behind a smoother, mellower cup. Roasting also significantly reduces the caffeine content, which is why hojicha is traditionally enjoyed in the evening, by children, and by anyone looking for a gentler caffeine experience.

The Three Faces of Hojicha: Light, Medium, and Dark Roast

The beauty of hojicha lies in how dramatically its character changes with roast level. Here's a breakdown of the three main roast profiles you'll encounter.

Light Roast — Delicate, with Green Tea Character Intact

A light roast is produced at lower temperatures or for shorter durations. The liquor pours a pale amber-gold, and the leaves retain much of their original green tea identity — gentle umami, subtle sweetness, and a hint of grassiness. The toasty aroma is present but restrained.

Light roast hojicha is ideal for sipping on its own and pairs beautifully with delicate foods: white-fleshed fish, wagashi (Japanese sweets), or a quiet moment of tea before a meal. For drinkers transitioning from green tea, it's the perfect entry point.

Medium Roast — The Balanced All-Rounder

Medium roast is the most familiar style of hojicha — the version most people picture when they hear the name. The liquor is a bright amber, and the cup balances toasty aroma, gentle sweetness, and just a whisper of astringency.

It's versatile across hot and iced preparations, and suitable for everything from casual home brewing to restaurant service. If you're looking for an everyday hojicha that works in almost any context, medium roast is your answer.

Dark roast hojicha is roasted longer and at higher temperatures, producing a deep reddish-brown — sometimes nearly black — liquor. The aroma is powerful and reminiscent of coffee, with notes of toasted nuts, caramel, and even a faint hint of cocoa.

Despite its boldness, dark roast hojicha is remarkably smooth. The extended roast burns off virtually all astringency, leaving a velvety, almost buttery mouthfeel. The depth and lingering finish are what hook many tea drinkers for life.

Why Dark Roast Is the Best Choice for Hojicha Lattes

As hojicha lattes climb café menus around the world, one question keeps coming up from baristas and café owners: which roast should we use? Our recommendation is clear — go with dark roast. Here's why.

Looking for Café- or OEM-Grade Dark Roast Hojicha? Talk to RIKYU.

At RIKYU Matcha Company, we offer more than matcha. Our dark roast hojicha powder is specifically developed for latte applications — built to deliver the rich, toasted aroma and deep body that cafés and product developers need.

We support our partners from sample shipments and roast-profile consultation through to stable, ongoing supply. Reach out to 

Ready to add a hojicha latte to your menu?

Hojicha Roast Levels: Best Roast for Hojicha Lattes

The two most influential schools of Japanese tea ceremony are Omotesenke and Urasenke, both descended from the 16th-century tea master Sen no Rikyu. They differ mainly in whisking style, the amount of froth, and ritual detail — Urasenke favors a frothier, creamier usucha, while Omotesenke keeps a thinner layer of foam.

For nearly five centuries, matcha has been shaped not by a single tradition, but by many. Understanding the schools — particularly Omotesenke and Urasenke — is one of the best ways to appreciate the depth of the bowl in front of you.

When matcha is served in Japan, the way it is whisked, presented, and received depends on which school of tea — 流派 (

) — the host belongs to. These schools are not brands or styles. They are living lineages of practice, each tracing its own line back through centuries of teachers and students. To understand matcha as a cultural product, it helps to know that the bowl in front of you almost always carries a school's signature, even when it is poured at a casual café.

The story of nearly every modern school begins with Sen no Rikyū (1522–1591), the tea master who refined the 

 aesthetic and established the spiritual core of 

After Rikyū's death, his teachings passed through his descendants. By the time of his great-grandsons in the 17th century, the family had divided into three houses, collectively known as the 

The names "front" and "back" are literal. When Rikyū's grandson Sōtan retired, he passed the front of his Kyoto residence to his successor Kōshin Sōsa — establishing Omotesenke. He then built a new tea hut, Konnichi-an, at the back of the property for another son, Senso Sōshitsu — establishing Urasenke. The three houses share a common ancestor and a common reverence for Rikyū, but each has evolved its own distinct sensibility.

Outside the San-senke lineage, several other schools have shaped Japanese tea culture:

For most students of tea around the world, however, exposure begins with one of the three Sen houses — and most often, with Omotesenke or Urasenke.

Omotesenke and Urasenke: Two Sensibilities

The two largest schools share the same heritage but have developed distinct approaches over four centuries. The differences are subtle, but they are not arbitrary — each reflects a coherent philosophy about how matcha should be prepared and experienced.

1. The Foam (the most visible difference)

 vigorously, producing a thick, fine, evenly distributed foam that covers the entire surface of the bowl. The result is creamy, soft, almost mousse-like.

 whisks more gently, leaving a deliberate crescent of clear tea visible at the surface — a signature look that emphasizes the color and clarity of the matcha itself rather than its texture.

). Omotesenke uses one made from smoked bamboo (煤竹, 

) — darker in color, with a more austere appearance.

 is folded and the side from which it is worn differ between the two schools. Small details that immediately identify a practitioner to a trained eye.

Urasenke tends to embrace a wider range of bowl shapes and contemporary materials. Omotesenke typically favors more traditional forms and a more restrained selection.

Perhaps the most important difference is not technical but cultural.

 has been the most internationally active school. Through its postwar leadership, it established branches across the world, opened practice to non-Japanese students at scale, and actively promoted 

 as a living global art. Today, the school has affiliated organizations on nearly every continent.

 has remained more domestically focused, more conservative in its outward expression, and is often described as the most traditional of the three houses. For practitioners who value continuity with the older forms, this is precisely its appeal.

Neither approach is "correct." They are two answers to the same question — 

how do we keep Rikyū's spirit alive in our own time?

At RIKYU Matcha Company, we work daily with cafés, roasters, pâtissiers, and tea programs in North America, Europe, Australia, and beyond. The matcha being prepared in their kitchens does not always follow the manners of Omotesenke or Urasenke — and that is not a problem. It is the next chapter.

Latte art on a matcha base. Espresso bars where matcha is pulled like a shot. Pastry programs that treat matcha as a primary ingredient rather than a garnish. Cocktail menus building entire categories around it. None of this existed in Rikyū's time, and yet — to our eyes — none of it betrays his spirit. The Way of Tea has always been a way of attention, of care for the guest, of honesty toward the material. Those principles travel.

Matcha is now a global drink. The question is no longer whether the world will adopt it, but what kind of culture will grow up around it.

Building a matcha program and want to get the details right? 

Schools of Matcha: Omotesenke vs Urasenke Explained

Matcha and regular green tea (sencha) both come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis, but they differ in two key ways: matcha leaves are shade-grown for about three weeks before harvest, which boosts umami and chlorophyll, and matcha is stone-ground into a fine powder that you drink whole, while green tea leaves are steeped and then discarded.

"I love both, but what is the actual difference?" This is one of the most frequent questions we receive at RIKYU.

Believe it or not, they both originate from the exact same plant: 

. The same soil, the same fields, and the same leaves. However, they diverge at two critical stages—

—resulting in two entirely different sensory experiences.

1. The Secret in the Growing: Sunlight vs. Shade

The distinction begins long before the harvest, right in the tea garden.

2. The Architecture of Enjoyment: Steeping vs. Consuming

The way the tea reaches your cup is structurally different.

Stone-ground matcha: the whole leaf, milled to a powder you drink in full rather than steep and discard.

At RIKYU, we source our Matcha from diverse regions—Uji, Shizuoka, Kagoshima—to bring out unique aromatic identities that suit different needs.

We don't just supply tea; we help you find the specific profile that collaborates with your menu, whether it’s for a delicate ceremonial tea service or a robust, velvety matcha latte.

Curious to taste the structural difference for yourself?

 We’d be happy to send you samples of our different grades to help you find your perfect match.

Matcha vs Green Tea: What's the Real Difference?

We visited the Kyoto tea farm behind our SR series to see, first-hand, where our matcha comes from and the thinking behind how it is grown. These are field notes from that visit — the kind of knowledge you won't find in textbooks, gathered from conversations with the people who grow and judge the tea.

One Harvest a Year — What Hand-Picking Really Means

A hand-picked tencha garden is harvested just once a year. In Kyoto, that harvest runs for about a month, from early to late May, and only the year's very first buds — the first flush — are picked. Unlike sencha gardens, there is no second or third harvest. Everything the tree has stored over an entire year is poured into that single picking.

Tea trees under black shade netting. Beneath the cover, the new buds develop slowly.

One thing that surprised us was how simple the cultivar mix is. A hand-picking farm typically grows only about two cultivars. To spread the harvest across the month, growers pair an early-budding cultivar with a late-budding one. The most common combination is Asahi as the early cultivar and Saemidori as the late one — a two-cultivar relay that carries the garden through the season.

Some growers use Saemidori as their early cultivar instead. But Saemidori is notoriously difficult to grow, with a very narrow window for its ideal picking moment. Miss that window and quality swings sharply — which is why Saemidori lots can vary from year to year and grower to grower. The same cultivar name can mean very different levels of consistency depending on who grows it and in what role. That's worth remembering when you buy.

In a once-a-year, first-flush-only garden, the trees are fed continuously — fertilized throughout the year, even in the long months when nothing is harvested. The trees are rarely depleted, so they enter spring fully loaded with stored nutrients. The concentrated character of Kyoto's hand-picked tencha comes from exactly this design: a whole year of the tree's strength, released in one harvest.

The growers taught us a simple way to read a garden's condition at a glance: in a garden where the trees are fully nourished, the tea trees don't flower. A plant under stress rushes to reproduce and sets flowers; a tree with everything it needs doesn't bother. A garden with no flowers is a garden of contented trees — a beautifully simple indicator you can see just by walking the rows.

The Tea Master Judges at the Aracha Stage

Quality evaluation happens earlier than you might think — at the aracha (crude tea) stage. Aracha is the dried leaf before finishing; remove the stems and leaf veins, and what remains is tencha, the raw material for matcha. In other words, the tea master judges the material itself, before any finishing work.

Tasting bowls lined up for evaluation — quality is judged before finishing, at the aracha stage.

How the tea is brewed for judging matters too. Cold-brewed tencha releases almost no bitterness, so it lets you evaluate pure umami strength in isolation. When judging it as matcha, whisked and drunk, you assess color, bitterness, and umami together — and since boiling water pushes bitterness forward, the water should not be too hot.

Cold-brewed tencha: almost no bitterness, so pure umami strength can be judged on its own.

When comparing matcha samples for buying decisions, try two passes: first taste cold-brewed or at low temperature to gauge the raw umami, then taste at your actual serving temperature to judge the overall balance. Two passes make your sample evaluations far more consistent.

Prestige and Its Price — The Structural Problem of Wazuka

Even within Kyoto, there is a hierarchy of growing areas. The three districts held in highest regard are Uji, Joyo, and Kyotanabe.

Matcha Journal

Tencha, Gyokuro, Kabusecha: Three Shade-Grown Teas, Three Different Results

One Bud, Two Leaves: The Hand-Picking Tradition of Uji

Temomi: The 4-Hour Hand-Rolling Craft Behind Modern Sencha

What's Inside a Bowl of Matcha? Reading the Ingredient Table

Chakabuki: How Kyoto Tea Masters Train Their Palate

Chanoyu vs Sadō: What’s the Difference, and Why It Matters for the Global Matcha Boom

Hojicha Roast Levels: Best Roast for Hojicha Lattes

Schools of Matcha: Omotesenke vs Urasenke Explained

Matcha vs Green Tea: What's the Real Difference?

A Visit to Our Hand-Picked Matcha Farm in Kyoto

Senkyu × Rikyu: Redefining Matcha Culture at a Landmark

Koicha and Usucha Culture: The Deep Traditions of Japanese Tea Ceremony

Let’s get matcha
into your product.

Matcha Journal

Tencha, Gyokuro, Kabusecha: Three Shade-Grown Teas, Three Different Results

One Bud, Two Leaves: The Hand-Picking Tradition of Uji

Temomi: The 4-Hour Hand-Rolling Craft Behind Modern Sencha

What's Inside a Bowl of Matcha? Reading the Ingredient Table

Chakabuki: How Kyoto Tea Masters Train Their Palate

Chanoyu vs Sadō: What’s the Difference, and Why It Matters for the Global Matcha Boom

Hojicha Roast Levels: Best Roast for Hojicha Lattes

Schools of Matcha: Omotesenke vs Urasenke Explained

Matcha vs Green Tea: What's the Real Difference?

A Visit to Our Hand-Picked Matcha Farm in Kyoto

Senkyu × Rikyu: Redefining Matcha Culture at a Landmark

Koicha and Usucha Culture: The Deep Traditions of Japanese Tea Ceremony

Let’s get matchainto your product.

Let’s get matcha
into your product.