Matcha Ikenoshiro is suitable for usucha (thin tea but still creamy).
Ikenoshiro is the most round and soft matcha tea of the three usucha matcha we have from the producer Hoshino Seichaen.
Specifications:
- Origin: Fukuoka, Yame, Japan (single estate)
- Tasting notes: rich juicy flavor, grass, seaweed
- Harvest: May 2024
How Matcha is produced
Tea cultivation is a complex matter, as it depends on the quality of the soil, rain, sun, a good tea plant and last but not least, a skilled producer.
For fine teas, the time it takes from the tea is picked until it is packed in wooden crates for cooling can be crucial. In addition, the tea should preferably be transported in a refrigerated truck from the field to the local processing station so that the leaves do not lose their vitality. For most teas picked in Hoshino Seichaen’s fields, it takes less than 1 hour from the leaf is picked to the time it is refrigerated.
Matcha tea is the finest quality of green tea leaves that have been grown in partial shade, carefully selected and processed.
It is important to buy the right quality matcha for the type of tea you want to make. If you use ceremonial quality for a matcha latte, the matcha tea will taste less as it “disappears” behind the milk. It is important to buy a high quality culinary matcha for a matcha latte, as you will get a more flavorful matcha.
A family have specialized in Japanese green tea in 4 generations
Sing Tehus have been distributor of Hoshino Seichaen tea since year 2008 and in the intervening years we have visited them countless times.
We have a close collaboration, almost familial, and a fruitful dialogue about the development of tea production and business operations, so that together we follow the development in a sustainable direction.
Hoshino Seichaen is located on the Kyushu peninsula in southern Japan, where the mountainous area is optimal for tea cultivation, with plenty of sun and a humid climate. Tea from this area has a “juicy” taste, with notes of fresh grass. The teas are also distinguished by different characteristics and different degrees of umami (a rich taste). Hoshino Seichaen is awarded every year for their teas and is in the top 5 in Japan among the most talented producers.
This area called Yame is also very well known for their Gyokuro teas.
Hoshino Seichaen is a family-run business, and the 3rd generation has taken over the running of the business. The family is called Yamaguchi and Shinya, son of the former President of the company, is now in charge of the tea production and the company. Shinya has in recent years made a name for himself in Japan with his fine skills as a “tea taster” with the highest level (10 Dan) as a tea master.
Ingredients: Green tea
