Koicha (thick)Uji Samidori Matcha
Koicha (thick), sourced from Uji, Samidori cultivar
SweetUmamiBitterAstringent
$67.20 (20g)
~$3.36 per gram
Grade
Koicha (thick)
Cultivar
Samidori
Region
Uji
Sourcing
Uji, Japan
View the full sourcing map →Tasting notes
Sweetness moderate-high, Umami high, Aroma high, Astringency moderate, Bitterness low
Pricing as disclosed
20g — $67.20
Full details
Everything disclosed on the product page (19 fields)▾
- Price Sale
- $75.60
- Price Regular
- $84.00
- Size
- 20g
- Producer
- Yoshida Meichaen
- Region
- Uji, Kyoto
- Elevation
- 15m
- Harvest
- May 2025
- Cultivar
- Samidori - a classic Uji cultivar, technically unregistered; developed to be suitable for shaded teas with leaves that grow vertically for easy hand-picking; bred in 1939 by Uji tea breeder Koyama Masajirou; noted for bright green colour and deep umami
- Picking Method
- Hand-picked
- Flavor Profile
- Sweetness moderate-high, Umami high, Aroma high, Astringency moderate, Bitterness low
- Description
- Soft and silky as usucha, powerful and aromatic as koicha; a tea full of finesse achieved by 40 days of traditional straw-shading and carefully selective hand-picking.
- Recommended Uses
- Baking, Latte, Usucha, Koicha (recommended as primary use)
- Brewing Usucha
- 70°C (158°F) water, 2g matcha to 70ml water, whisk briskly back-and-forth ~20 seconds
- Brewing Koicha
- 85°C (185°F) water, 4g matcha to 30ml water, knead in circular motion until smooth and glossy
- Producer Background
- Founded over 200 years ago; current leader 16th generation farmer Riichi Yoshida (65+ years); younger brother assists; sons represent 17th generation; farm spans 2 hectares in Uji's Ogura district; Riichi Yoshida is Chairman of the Uji Tea Hand-rolling Preservation Association, preserving his grandfather's hand-rolling method certified as an intangible cultural property; production uses hand-rolling, hand-picking, honzu straw shading, and traditional bamboo screens rather than modern metal sieves
- Competition Record
- Competed in the National Tea Competition every year since it started over 75 years ago, won 1st place over 20 times
- Historical Stewardship
- Since the 14th generation, managed one of Japan's oldest tea gardens at Kosanji Temple in Toganoo, where bushes were sown with seeds brought from Song Dynasty China by Eisai
- Regional Context
- Uji famed for high-quality matcha production for centuries, dating back to the 12th century; shading method (c. 15th century), sencha (1737), gyokuro (1835) invented by Uji farmers; most Ujicha now produced in neighbouring Ujitawara, Minamiyamashiro, Kizugawa, and primarily Wazuka
- Reviews
- 5 stars, 13 reviews
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