WAKEI MATCHA | Ogura

Rich and Balanced with Mild Umami Aftertaste

This koicha-grade matcha offers a smooth and balanced broth, with creamy, buttery-sweet notes. As the flavour develops. it transitions into a gentle umami aftertaste, finishing with a long-lasting velvety sweetness.

Wakei matcha is a blended-cultivar tea meticulously crafted by a 16th-generation, family-owned tea garden located in Ogura, Uji, Kyoto. The region’s unique soil composition, paired with the precise use of organic fertilizers, plays a pivotal role in cultivating a matcha with a rich, full-bodied, and complex flavour profile. This harmonious combination of tradition and terroir ensures a matcha of exceptional quality and depth.

Perfect for both thick Koicha and Usucha preparations.

About the Tea Garden

This distinguished, multi-award-winning tea estate in Uji, Kyoto, has been dedicated to cultivating premium Uji tea for 16 generations, dating back to the Edo period. Spanning two hectares, this family-operated farm upholds time-honored artisanal techniques, including hand-picking, hand-rolling for sencha and gyokuro, and the precise Honzu shading method, ensuring exceptional quality and depth of flavour.

Since 1947, the estate has consistently excelled in Japan’s National Tea Competition, earning the prestigious Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Award 20 times. Its fourteenth-generation owner has been recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage holder in Uji City, further cementing the farm’s legacy. The family also manages the historic Kozan-ji Tea Farm, Japan’s first and oldest tea plantation, situated within the UNESCO World Heritage site at Kozan-ji Temple.

With an unwavering commitment to excellence, this historic tea estate continues to safeguard Japan’s tea traditions while producing some of the world’s finest matcha.

Preparation method: Koicha

Cultivar: Gokou and Samidori, shizen-jitate

Origin: Ogura, Uji

Grade: Koicha grade, Competition winner

Elevation: 15m above sea level

Harvest: First flush, Hand-picked (tezumi), Spring 2024

Shade: Honzu natural method, shaded for 35 days before harvest

Fertilising: Rapeseed oil cake, fish cake (tuna and bonito)

Steaming: Medium (futsūmushi)

Flavour profile: Buttery-sweet, with lingering gentle umami aftertaste

Producer: Yoshida family

Content: 20g