Of all the famous teas of Japan, matcha is perhaps the most iconic. This is the tea at the centre of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. It is ‘the’ Japanese green tea.

Matcha has a long history in its homeland, with the oldest known Japanese brand of matcha dating to the 16th century, and even that was building on traditions that had been around for centuries. To this day, Japanese people hold that preparing, serving and drinking matcha tea is a meditative and spiritual practice.

Matcha is also rich in polyphenols which can boost your immune system, lower blood sugar levels, have been linked to lower incidences of heart disease and can boost focus and memory. Other health benefits associated with matcha tea include: weight loss, stress reduction and an increase in antioxidants which are thought to help prevent various diseases and ailments.

Matcha Tea Powder from Japan 

Whilst the Japanese have known the benefits and beauty of vivid green matcha powder for well over a thousand years, we in the West have only recently come to appreciate the incredible properties of this startlingly different tea.

Unlike traditional black and green teas, which require steeping of the leaves in water, matcha is made from tea leaves ground into a powder which dissolves entirely, resulting in the most stunning bright green cup with a myriad of health benefits.

If you’ve tried tasteless, mass-produced supermarket versions of matcha before and haven’t been convinced then let us persuade you! For the best matcha experience you need to sample our specially selected small-batch, high-grade varieties which offer a truly authentic taste of Japan.

The traditional Japanese tea ceremony centres on the preparation, serving, and drinking of matcha as hot tea. A traditional bamboo whisk, sieves, bowls and spoons are all associated with the preparation of matcha. But if you haven’t got the time for an entire tea ceremony then matcha is about the easiest tea to prepare: simply add hot water and you’re good to go! 

Premium grade matchas are often described as having a pleasantly grassy flavour with a sweet nuttiness and smooth, slightly astringent notes. Delicious both with hot water or whisked into a creamy matcha latte.

Because matcha is a concentrated form of green tea, it has been long reputed by enthusiasts that matcha possesses stronger health benefits associated with green tea. Caffeine is more concentrated in matcha, which Japanese Zen monks have historically used to stimulate wakefulness.  

For those new to matcha tea we can highly recommend our Vanilla Matcha with real bourbon vanilla which enhances the natural sweetness of the tea. Our bestseller matcha and a classic premium grade example is our Izu Green Matcha with a jammy-like smoothness, a satisfying full cup and a light astringent finish. For Earl Grey lovers, why not try our Earl Grey Matcha with bright bergamot layered over smooth notes of malt. 

Sencha Tea from Japan 

In addition to our matcha teas we also supply a superb Japanese sencha tea. This is a green tea prepared in a way perhaps more familiar to Western tea drinkers: whereas matcha is ground into a powder and dissolved, sencha is prepared by infusing whole tea leaves in hot water. Among the teas of Japan matcha is the one with the greatest historical and cultural significance, but it is sencha that is the most popular – about 80 per cent of the total amount of tea produced in Japan is sencha.  

Sencha tea has a cloudy, green/gold colour that isn’t as solid or as vibrant as matcha. Matcha has an earthy, grassy and slightly bitter flavour. One of the appeals of sencha is that its flavour can vary depending on the variety of tea, where it is grown (the soil, water, temperature and shade levels all affect the taste and aroma of the tea) and even when the tea leaves are picked. Spring sencha teas generally have sweeter, more delicate flavours while those picked in late autumn are bolder and have more bitter notes. This means that even sencha tea of the same variety from the same place can have very different tastes through the year.  

Sencha tea from Japan can also deliver different flavours with different preparation. Broadly, the hotter the water the more the astringent (bitter) elements of the flavour will be highlighted, while more temperate water will keep the flavour light and mellow. All these variables mean you can enjoy sencha tea however takes your fancy at any time. 

Our carefully selected variety of sencha is called Genmaicha Yamasaki. This combines pan-fired sencha with toasted and popped rice. The resulting tea is full-bodied and sweet with a mouthwatering baked character. The sencha tea has fresh, light, grassy flavours which combine with the earthy roasted taste of the rice to produce a natural, refreshing and relaxing brew. We recommend steeping this sencha in water that has not been previously boiled and is brought up to just below boiling point, to prevent these flavours being masked by bitterness.