Ippodo Tea - Horai Matcha (20g) - For Usucha, Koicha and Lattes - Rich & Smooth

Founded in 1717 in the heart of Kyoto, Ippodo Tea is a family-run Japanese tea company with over 300 years of tradition. Our tea comes from the mountains in and neighboring Kyoto prefecture, making Ippodo Tea a true representation of tea from the Kyoto area.

The higher Ippodo Tea grades offer a fuller aftertaste, a sweeter aroma, a brighter deep green color, and a richer, sweeter umami flavor. One of the most popular teas in our selection is Hojicha, which is remarkably aromatic, light-bodied, and refreshing.

Matcha is a unique type of Japanese green tea that is made by grinding shade-cultivated tea leaves into a fine powder. When preparing matcha, you add this powder to a bowl or mug, add water, whisk, and enjoy - consuming the entire tea leaf.

For your first taste of Ippodo matcha, we recommend trying Horai (Sayaka), which offers a smooth sweetness and umami, accompanied by a hint of bitterness. It has just enough richness to satisfy matcha fans, while still being approachable for beginners.

When making matcha, we suggest sifting the dry powder right before adding water, as this helps the matcha whisk fully in a short time. Whisk for just seconds, not minutes, as prolonged whisking can produce a bitter taste. The classic bamboo whisk (chasen) is the best tool for the job, with its many fine tips allowing you to create a fragrant and well-mixed matcha drink.

Ippodo Tea is located in the heart of Kyoto and has provided the highest quality Japanese green tea for over three centuries. We are more than just a retailer - we are a multi-faceted tea company that carefully selects, blends, and crafts our tea, with our tasting team constantly monitoring the consistency of our blends.

Our teas are of the finest class, cultivated in the mountains of Kyoto and the surrounding area, a region renowned for producing the highest grade of green tea in Japan, thanks to its mild, misty climate, mineral-rich soil, and near-perfect balance of sunshine and rainfall.

In addition to matcha, Ippodo Tea offers a variety of other Japanese green tea types, including gyokuro, with its abundant hearty-sweet umami flavor and dew-like aroma, sencha, with its harmonious balance of umami, sweetness, bitterness, and astringency, and bancha, which are light-bodied, fragrant, and refreshing.

Whether you're a matcha beginner or a seasoned enthusiast, Ippodo Tea has something to satisfy your palate. Try our Horai matcha for a rich, smooth, and accessible introduction to this unique tea experience.

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