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Japanese Ceremonial Matcha Loose Green Tea

8 reviews
£21.99
£21.99
£1.76 per cup
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A top-grade loose leaf organic matcha tea, sourced from Wakohen garden in Kagoshima Prefecture.

Crafted from just the tender first flush of the Saemidori cultivar, the fields are shaded twenty to forty days before harvest, causing the leaves to explode with extra L-theanine and chlorophyll. The resulting pick (just the youngest, finest leaves) are then steamed to halt oxidisation, then dried. The resulting product is called tencha (literally "tea for grinding").

This precious tencha is then deveined, destemmed, and ground using traditional ceramic stones to a fine powder. This meticulous crafting results in a tea of great depth and intensity.

This is ceremonial grade matcha for whisking; we'd recommend infusing with water rather than milk to appreciate the sheer depth of flavour.

Tasting Notes

Smooth and creamy, with a natural sweetness and rich umami notes.

Cost Per Cup

£1.76 per cup based on 2g of tea per 150ml of water and 1 infusion.

Origin

Wakohen tea garden, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan

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Recommended Infusion Guide

  • Quantity

    Use 2g (2 scoops with a traditional bamboo Chashaku spoon) of Matcha for 70ml of water.

  • Temperature

    For the optimum infusion use 70°C water. Some people may prefer 80°C for more intense tannins.

  • Time

    Make a fine paste with 10ml of water. Add the remaining water and whisk vigorously in a M or W shape until a fine foam is created.

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More infusion tips

How to infuse your tea is very personal, and these are just our recommendations based on experience. Please experiment with these variables to your heart's delight. These are our recommendations, not hard and fast rules. The most delicious tea is the one you love.

Our guide uses a standard tea cup size (150ml/5.5 oz) as a measure, please adjust the quantity of leaf accordingly for less or more water. Our whole loose leaves are of such a high quality that you can infuse our teas at least twice, and the second infusion is often better than the first, with different flavours revealed as the leaf softens. If you prefer your tea stronger, add more leaf, don’t leave it for longer (this will just make it bitter).

This is can also be enjoyed as an iced tea or added to cold-pressed juice and smoothies.

We recommend whisking 2-4g (0.1-0.2 oz) to a smooth paste with a little cold water first and then diluting for an iced tea or to add to your juice. You can drink it immediately, but full extraction takes about 1 hour.

JAPAN

Wakohen Garden

The garden is on the southern tip of Japan's most southerly Kyushu island. The farm is around 100 hectares and run by Yasuhisa Horiguchi and his family - a great innovator and lover of the soil. Like all our farmers they believe that best soil produces the best tea, that is best for us. They farm under strict organic principles.

However the use of pesticides and herbicides in the growing of tea for matcha is extremely common practice. The shading of the leaf that takes place before harvesting to increase the amino acids, including L-theanine and chlorophyll, enhances the flavour inestimably - but also increases the prevalence of pests.

Horiguchi-san began using natural pests to counter the leaf eaters. Then in 2014 he witnessed a hurricane pass over the tea and found that it removed all the pests and their eggs. He was so inspired that he created his very own machine, using high pressure air and water to remove pests without chemicals. He calls it "the Hurricane King".

Here's a short film we’ve made to show you how to make Matcha:

Make the most of your matcha:

  • Chashaku Matcha Scoop

    Add a little ceremony to your matcha by using a genuine Japanese matcha scoop to measure your matcha into the bowl.

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  • Rosemary Wilkinson White Matcha Bowl

    Stoneware and white glaze matcha bowl, with a painted indent, handmade in London, UK.

    Each bowl has been designed and handmade so you can whisk your lovely, frothy matcha and drink straight from the bowl.

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  • Chasen Matcha Whisk

    Made out of a single piece of bamboo, this traditional Japanese whisk will allow you to effectively whisk matcha into to the perfect consistency.

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Shipping, delivery & more...

UK Shipping Information

FREE UK Tracked when you spend £30 or more

FREE UK Express - Next Day* when you spend £60 or more

UK Tracked - Two Day Tracked £3.99

UK Express - Next Day* Tracked £5.49

UK Express - Next Day* Courier from £8.49

*Subject to next day cutoff and postcode location. Availability of rates depends on location and order weight. For a complete overview of our shipping rates please see our delivery page.

All prices quoted in GBP and will be converted to your local currency if available.

Returns

The Rare Tea Lady believes that our teas are some of the greatest in the world, and that our range and service are second to none.

In the isolated case that you are not completely satisfied with any product you purchase from our website, please get in contact with our customer services team to discuss returning your order.*

In most instances, we will give you a full refund of the item's cost, excluding postage. We may ask you to return the item to us.** Customers in the UK & European Union have statutory rights not affected by this guarantee, but any bags of tea must remained sealed for this to be in effect.

*We only accept returns/refunds for tea within 30 days of receipt, because it is impossible for us to know if the tea has been stored correctly.

**We will endeavour to ask for pictures where possible - but if you have changed your mind and are outside of any statutory rights time period, return postage is payable by you.

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