Matcha "Seihyo no Shiro"

Seihyo no Shiro is an impressive new addition to our collection of matcha from Ikkoen Chaho. This bright, lime green powder whisks into a light, creamy matcha that evolves dynamically on the palate. It opens softly with a pleasing, powdery mouthfeel that eventually gives way to an astringent, electric finish. The most unassuming of the Ikkoen Chaho matcha, but no less impactful, this tea would pair wonderfully with wagashi or sweets.

Ikkoen Chaho is a tiny tea shop founded in 1947 by Hiroshi Mitsuo in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. Now it is run by the son of Hiroshi and his wife, Chie Mitsuo.

They are an anomaly in Cultivate's collection, mainly because they do not farm their own tea. Instead, they purchase high quality tencha from Uji, Kyoto that they use to mill their own matcha.

Their shop is home to 3 traditional matcha mills that they use to make tencha from Uji into matcha. These machines have been used and maintained here since the shop opened in 1947. They are beautiful pieces of equipment, each housed in a wooden case and run by a steady conveyor belt.

For how small their shop and production is, they are surprisingly well known in the matcha industry in Japan, and a name that many Sado teachers quietly and assuredly recommend. This is all to say that the matcha from Ikkoen Chaho is very precious; the 3 stone mills produce roughly 30 grams of matcha per hour.

The shop has no website, no online presence, only a single store in Nagoya. We are very proud to offer 3 ceremonial matcha from Ikkoen Chaho at Cultivate.