To obtain the best of the best in the world of matcha production, you walk an extra mile to gain an inch. A Heritage Matcha at an Imperial Ceremonial Grade level is the label that Yunomi.life gives to the best and richest matcha products made with traditional, classic cultivation and production techniques:

1. Leaves must be shaded for 4 weeks or more
2. Leaves must be shaded under a canopy, not directly, preventing the shading material from causing damage to the leaves, and allowing the plant to grow freely.
3. This also allows the plant to be handpicked, and the handpicking must occur in the spring.
4. The picked leaves must be steamed and dried into leaf flakes called tencha using a brick overn tencha roasting oven.
5. The tencha must be refined to remove leaf stems and veins, then chopped into small even pieces for grinding
6. The grinding must be done on a stone mill.

The resulting flavor profile must be a powerful, umami rich ambrosia.

There's another step we often don't talk about. That is, as a crop, tea leaves will inevitably vary from year to year. To consistently create the same amazing flavor profile year after year is the role of a master blender, and Shogyokuen's CEO Hiroshi Kobayashi is a blender whose ability to appraise tea leaves is matched only by a handful of industry professional in Japan.

Shogyokuen's Heritage Grade Matcha products utilizes leaves cultivated by the Kobayashi's themselves on a dedicated tea field.

Flavor Profile - Yunomi Evaluation - 97.5/100

Based on our own tasting, this product has the following profile. However, tastings are not always conducted side by side, and your use of different water, ambient temperature, etc. may affect the outcome. Please use this profile as a simple guide. Parameters: 2g / 50 ml, 75C degrees.

• Umami (15%): 9/10 (10 = richest umami)
  
• Sweetness (15%): 10/10 (10 = sweetest)
• Creaminess (15%): 10/10 (10 = creamiest)
• Lack of Astringency (15%): 10/10 (10 = least astringent)
• Lack of Bitterness (15%): 10/10 (10 = least bitter)
• Texture (10%): 10/10 (10 being the smoothest grinding)
• Color (10%): 10/10 (10 having the greenest, most vibrant color
• Something Special (5%): 8/10

Product Info

• Japanese name: 最高抹茶瑞祥
  
• Net Weight: 40 gram / 1.4 oz (can)
• Ingredients: Green tea
• Grade: Heritage Grade
• Cultivar: Uji Hikari (2024 harvest - this may change from year to year depending on what cultivar(s) is best)
• Harvest: May
• Region: Kyotanabe, Kyoto.

Vendor Info

• Name: Shogyokuen
• Type: Tea factory, family business
• CEO: Hiroshi Kobayashi
• Established: 1827
• Employees: 12

Hiroshi Kobayashi is an award winning blender, and one of 13 tea professionals in Japan who hold the top rank of tea appraisal, level 10.