TSUJI K ASAHI | SINGLE CULTIVAR MATCHA

Tasting notes of scarlet runner beans & petrichor.  Glorious umami and texture.

New batch, just landed July 17.

Grower: 

Tsuji Kiyoharu is a legend; a fifth generation tea grower, he is the only living matcha farmer to have received awards from the Emperor (3 times!).  He has also earned multiple medals from Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.  

Tsuji Sensei started his quest for insane umami when he was only 20 years old; having asked some of the best know tea experts for advice, he invariable received the answer:  ’start by learning in the fields’.  And so he did; acknowledging that tea fields are a universe of ever-changing variables, Tsuji San has learned to ‘listen’ to his tea trees every single year.  Organic fertilizer, shade, harvesting times and tea making techniques are adjusted accordingly.  We can guarantee that every lot of tea from Tsuji San will be unique… and exceptional.

Cultivar:

Asahi (朝日) is one of the most finicky yet rewarding tea cultivars; producing plump, juicy leaves with monster umami, it is highly valued in the Kanzai region for shaded tea.  It is, for a reason that escapes our knowledge, not a registered cultivar at the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.   We strongly recommend trying this tea as koicha (at least once), or an usucha that is a bit more loaded than normal.  

IMPORTANT:  we offer this tea in 20g re-fill packs, freshly milled and packed by Tsuji San at origin.  If you wish to add a Japanese airtight (collectible, re-usable) tin, please do so here.