HOJICHA CAFE STASH

Our farm region near the Japanese Alps is almost entirely covered by forests and mountains.  We progressively shade our crop at 70 - 95% shade prior to harvest. 

SHIZUOKA PREFECThe first tea harvest of the year is considered the best quality because the tea plants are full of vital compounds stored over the course of winter.

The leaves are gently steamed to prevent oxidation and to ensure they retain their abundance of amino acids, nutrients, vibrant color and exceptional taste.

AIR-DRIEDAfter steaming, the leaves are gently air-dried.

The leaves are then sorted by grade, de-stemmed and deveined.  Only the leaves that make it through this rigorous process become our Tencha.

COLD STORAGETencha is moved into cold storage, where it is then stone-milled into the finest matcha powder.

Stone-milling preserves and produces the finest powder and is a labor intensive process.

Our tea is documented to surpass organic and ISO22000 certification standards.

Lastly, our tea sommeliers step in - they are the final step to ensuring the highest quality matcha is also the best tasting matcha.