Kyō-no-Homare - Uji Matcha
Arita SansuienA top-tier koicha blended from hand-picked tencha from the award-winning Kikuoka family, including some of their competition grade material. This top-tier tencha is then rounded out by gentle drying and heating over binchotan charcoal, a traditional practice now almost extinct in Japan. This koicha is a limited offering, showcasing the best of Jōyō’s tencha cultivation and blending with intense umami and vivid complexity
The name Kyō-no-Homare (京の誉) means "Treasure of the Capital", or alternately, "The Praise of Kyoto".
Producer: Arita Sansuien
Region: Uji, Kyoto (Jōyō)
Cultivar: Blend: Samidori, Uji-Hikari (competition grade), Asahi
Picking: Hand-Picked
Shaded: 45-75 Days
Uji city in Kyoto prefecture has long been at the centre of Japanese tea and has been famed for its high-quality matcha production for centuries, dating back to the 12th century. The shading method used to produce modern matcha (c. 15th century) along with sencha (1737) and gyokuro itself (1835) were all invented by Uji farmers looking to push the boundaries of tea quality.
Though the name Ujicha remains associated with high-grade tea, most tea branded as Ujicha is produced in the neighbouring towns of Ujitawara, Minamiyamashiro, Kizugawa, and primarily Wazuka.
Brewing Instructions
Koicha
Thick Tea
Heat water to 85º C (185º F)
Add 30 ml (1 oz) of water to 4 g (3-4 tea scoops) of sifted matcha
Knead the tea in a circular motion until smooth and glossy
Usucha
Thin Tea
Heat water to 70º C (158º F)
Add 70 ml (2.4 oz) of water to 2 g (2 tea scoops) of sifted matcha
Whisk briskly in a back and forth motion for about 20 seconds
Arita Sansuien (有田三翠園)
Founded by Arita Heiichi (有田平一) in 1949, Arita Sansuien's focus is sourcing, blending, and finishing high-quality tencha, working both directly with farmers and also buying top-tier tencha at auction, with a focus on hand-picked, honzu-shaded teas. Their unique specialty is their perseveration of the traditional tencha finishing method of gently heating the leaves in a single layer on washi paper heated by binchotan charcoal. Once standard throughout Kyoto, this technique has all but vanished.
Today, Arita Sansuien is headed by Arita Ippei (有田一平) who continues to refine and perfect their blends and drying techniques to bring out the best from Kyoto's best tencha farmers. Their upper grades of matcha contain tencha from Kikuoka Yuuichi (菊岡祐一) and his family, who have won first place at the National Tea Competition, and consistently place high every year.