Wazuka Meiryoku Shincha
RishouenClean and balanced, this shincha presents the brightness of freshly harvested tea. Unlike most Ujicha which is umami-focused, this tea is much lighter, preserving spring aromas.
While Uji may be the most famous tea region in Kyoto, most Ujicha is actually grown in the neighbouring town of Wazuka, which produces almost 50% of Kyoto's tea. Dating back over 800 years, tea from Wazuka is known for its deep umami flavour.
Producer: Rishouen
Region: Wazuka, Kyoto
Cultivar: Meiryoku
Harvested: April 2025
Picking: Handheld Machine
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.
Registered in 1986 as a cross between Yabukita and Yamatomidori, Meiryoku is known as a hardy cultivar with a high yield and a strong resistance to various diseases. It is not known for any specific flavours, but it does have higher amino acid and caffeine content than Yabukita, while having a lower catechin level
Brewing Instructions
Traditional
Hot Tea
Use 2 g (0.07 oz) of tea leaves for every 50 ml (1.70 oz) of water
Heat your water to 85º C (185º F) or cool boiling water by pouring it into the cups, then into the teapot
Let it steep for 45 seconds before pouring slowly until the last drop. Enjoy!
Rishouen (利招園)
Descended from a family of tea farmers, the head of Rishouen, Koji Kagata now focuses on working with high-grade tencha producers in Uji and the greater Kyoto tea producing region to create top-tier matcha blends suitable for use both inside the tearoom and in day-to-day life. As a practitioner of the Japanese tea ceremony himself, Kagata-san has a keen sense for blending exquisite matcha for usucha and koicha
Rishouen (利招園) is a small, family owned tea producer located in Uji, Kyoto. Founded in 1947, they specialise in selecting tencha from the best fields in Kyoto before skillfully fine-tuning blend recipes and flavour profiles to produce high-grade matcha