Koyuki (which can mean light or powdered snow) is a high quality single origin (unblended) matcha made from tencha (shade grown leaves) grown in the “Honyama” mountain region a 50 minute drive outside of Shizuoka City in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
Most matcha is blended to achieve a more balanced flavour, but single origin matcha like this provides a more distinct profile, allowing you to compare different matchas and seek stronger individual flavours.

When tasting matcha you should lookout for three main things, umami, astringency, and sweetness, having a good balance of these factors is what makes a good matcha. Umami is a strong savoury, earthy taste and the main flavour in most high quality matcha, astringency is similar to bitterness, too much of it can be unpleasant and leave your mouth feeling dry, sweetness is not the same as the sweetness of sugar, but more of an inherent natural vegetal sweetness.

This matcha has a little sweetness, minimal astringency and a moderate to strong umami taste. It froths up well and fairly easily, and it rarely clumps. The caffeine and theanine combined effect is subtle leaving you with a gentle buzz for a while.

• Regarding whether or not this matcha is “Ceremonial Grade”, in short Ceremonial Grade matcha is not a real thing, there are no formal rules or regulations and anyone can technically call any matcha Ceremonial Grade, in the west where this term was invented it essentially means any matcha intended for drinking rather than cooking. I can guarantee this matcha is a level above the majority of generic “Ceremonial Grade” matcha you will find for sale in the west.
• This matcha is intended for drinking without any additives (but if you want to use it to make a matcha latte or something go ahead it will be great).
• The high price of this tea is normal for high quality matcha and is owed to the great care and attention that goes into every step of the growing and production process, as well as the recent extreme increase in demand with a finite supply in Japan.
• We only offer this tea in 30g bags.
• For more information on how to make matcha please refer to the “Matcha” Style section of our Brewing Guide.