Imperial Ceremonial Matcha ZEN (Seimei) 30g

Product detailed description

Ceremonial matcha from the Seimei cultivar, grown and milled by tea master Shuichiro Sakamoto in Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyushu. Certified organic to the Japanese JAS standard, hand-harvested once a year, 30g in a Miron violet glass jar.

Seimei is a young cultivar. It was bred in 1992 at Makurazaki by crossing Fuushun with Saemidori, and only registered in 2017. The leaf is thin and bright green, high in amino acids, strong in umami and low in astringency, which is exactly what matcha asks for. Sakamoto grows it on a plantation that has been farmed organically for forty years, in loose, mineral-rich mountain soil.

The whole method is built out of slowing down. He picks once a year so the bushes are never drained. A month before harvest the plants go under shade in three layers: one layer in the first week, another added each week after, so by the third week the tea is cut off from sunlight completely. The only fertiliser is his own bokashi, fermented organic matter made with rice bran and native microorganisms, and crushed mineral rock is worked into the soil. Sakamoto supplies this matcha to the Japanese imperial court.

Key benefits

• Seimei cultivar – high in amino acids, strong umami and low astringency
• Organic to JAS – the Japanese organic farming standard, on a plantation organic for forty years
• Three-layer shading – a month before harvest, one more layer each week
• One harvest a year – the bushes get a full year to recover
• Bokashi instead of chemicals – fermented organic matter as the only fertiliser used
• Miron violet glass jar – blocks most of the visible light spectrum

How to prepare it

Measure 5g of matcha per serving and sift it into a chawan bowl. Add 50 to 80ml of water at around 65 °C and whisk with a bamboo whisk. Use good water, it shows with a matcha like this. Keep the powder in its original Japanese pouch with the oxygen absorber and only transfer it to the violet glass jar on the day you open the pack.

Ingredients

100% ground green tea matcha (Camellia sinensis), Seimei cultivar, JAS organic. Country of origin Japan, Shibushi area, Kagoshima Prefecture. Weight 30g. Packaging: fine powder in the original Japanese pouch with a moisture absorber, plus a resealable Miron violet glass jar.

Warnings

Contains caffeine. Not suitable for children or for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Protect from heat and humidity, store away from direct light and out of reach of children. Best before date is printed on the pack.

Distributor

Distributor: Adam Raw, Metylovice 552, 739 49 Metylovice, Czech Republic, Reg. No. 03452824.