Description

Harvested and produced each year in April, the Hanomi Matcha from the Nakanishi family in Uji is one of four different grades of Matcha produced by the family. Considering that that the garden is only 1.25 hectares and how work-intensive caring for the plants that are used to make these Matcha teas, it is not surprising that we are only able to get a few tins of each grade each year.

At harvest time about 30 helpers come into the garden assist with the harvest, which due to the irregular growth of the plants grown under shade, has to be done by hand. Due to the time required for further processing and resting, it takes several months before the teas are available for sale.

Intense and vivid green, the overriding taste of this Matcha is sweet and fruity, without any trace of bitterness. The aftertaste is soft and creamy, with lots of umami. Compared to the other Nakanishi Matcha teas this is a little lighter, ideal for preparing as Usucha (“thin” Matcha).

To prepare “thin” Matcha (Usucha) in a Matcha Bowl (Chawan): 

• Put 1.5 – 2g (2 matcha scoops) into your matcha bowl. If necessary, sieve the matcha into the bowl to remove lumps.
• Add ca. 80 ml of water that has been heated to 70 – 80℃.
• Whisk using your matcha brush until small bubbles appear – your Usucha will have the consistency of a strong espresso with a nice foam on top.

To prepare “thick” Matcha (Koicha) in a Matcha Bowl (Chawan): 

• Put 3.5 – 5g (3 heaped matcha scoops) into your matcha bowl. If necessary, sieve the matcha into the bowl to remove lumps.
• Add ca. 20 – 40 ml of water that has been heated to 70 – 80℃.
• Stir the matcha into the water using your matcha brush until it has the consistency of thick, melted chocolate.

Because Matcha in such a highly concentrated form as Koicha takes some getting used to and only real premium qualities reveal their sweet and complex character when prepared this way, we recommend that only the highest-quality teas be prepared as Koicha. Having said that, how you like your tea is down to your individual taste. Although we wouldn’t recommend trying more basic Matcha teas as Koicha, we would recommend preparing the premium quality teas both as Usucha and Koicha to see which style of Matcha you prefer.

DE-ÖKO-006 Non-EU Agriculture

From controlled organic cultivation