HOUSE MILLED MATCHA - HOSOI SAN'S 100% OKUMIDORI

Milling Date: September 4, 2024 (with May 2024 tencha)

Miller:  Shimoyama Mio San

We LOVE this tea, and we still can't get over the silky smooth mouthfeel, luscious nose, glowing green emerald colour and rich umami, this tea has been a favourite at the bar.

We find that this particular tencha is best expressed when we mill it at a lower temperature (0°C, re-filling the cooling system of our matcha mill with ice).  Whereas higher temperatures bring out a pleasant, roasted flavour, adding ice to the mill delivers stunning umami and silky finish.

Origin:  Wazuka (Kyoto), Japan

Grower:  Hosoi Kenta.  His family began farming tea in the Meiji Era, in Wazuka (one of the most traditional tea-growing regions in Kyoto).  He only started farming tea for tencha 10 years ago; his favourite cultivar for this purpose is okumidori.  Hosoi San's main passion is farming; he believes (and we couldn't agree more) that healthy earth and plants are the basis for mind-blowing tea.  

Cultivar:  OKUMIDORI (おくみどり) has long been one of our favourite cultivars.  With rich umami and low astringency, this relatively rare cultivar (reportedly accounting for less than 3% of Japan’s yearly harvest) was first developed for sencha, in Shizuoka, in the 1970s.   

About our House Mill:

In 2018, after visiting several Japanese matcha mill producers, we purchased our first grinder.  The objective was to micro-mill hojicha and a variety of tisanes (like dok anchan, for our Blue Matcha).

After playing with the machine and falling in love with freshly milled matcha, we decided to splurge on a second machine, located at our tea bar, to offer other matcha geeks some of the freshest tea possible.  We select a rotating assortment of tencha from some of our favourite growers (preserved frozen, in airtight containers).  Geoff and Baily micro-mill small batches every week or two, experimenting with different grinding variables, to offer a delicious tea for everyday enjoyment.