Description

Uji Shohokuen 5-Star Matcha

Made by Shohokuen in Uji, this ceremonial matcha is super quality. When the tea plants starts to produce buds in spring the bushes are shaded by a roof with mats that keep out 80% of the sunlight. Most teabushes used to produce matcha are only shaded for 3-4 weeks, but this tea is shaded for up to 40 days. The lack of sunshine forces the leaves to produce more chlorophyll. By this process the leaves develop amino acids that give the tea its “umami”, a both sweet and savoury taste. The higher the quality of the tea leaves, the more “umami” and the more full-bodied the tea. This premium quality matcha gives a very smooth tea with fine, creamy foam.

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