Tencha farmers from Wazuka, Kyoto—sisters Ui and Megumi Hori, and their mother—bring you a small batch matcha made from a cultivar called Sayama Kaori. As its' name implies, this cultivar comes from the Sayama tea region, which encompasses Saitama prefecture and a small area of northwestern Tokyo. While the cultivar was developed for sencha production, the women at Kiroku Tea Garden bring you a matcha from this rare cultivar. 

Yunomi Evaluation - 47/100

Based on our own tasting, this product has the following profile - created with 2g of matcha, 100 ml of water, 70C degrees. However, tastings are not conducted side by side, and there are many factors that may affect the quality you yourself taste: age of the matcha after grinding, different water profiles, ambient temperature, preparation styles, etc. Please use this profile as a simple reference.

• Umami: 8/20 (20 being the richest umami)
• Creaminess: 8/20 (20 being the creamiest)
• Lack of Astringency: 8/20 (20 being least astringent)
• Lack of Bitterness: 8/20 (20 being least bitter)
• Texture: 8/10 (10 being the smoothest grinding)
• Color: 7/10 (10 having the greenest, most vibrant color)

Product Info

• Ingredients: Green tea
• Cultivar: Sayama Kaori
• Harvest: Spring
• Notes: No pesticides used prior to harvest, synthetic fertilizers used.
• Grinding: Stone mill
• Region: Wazuka Village, Kyoto

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About the Garden

The 4th generation Kiroku Tea Garden is in the heart of Wazuka, Kyoto prefecture, an area whose mountain tea fields and undulating terraced slopes thick with fog make perfect tea-growing conditions. Founded nearly 100 years ago, before cars and farming machinery were available, their mountain fields were cleared by hand by the Great-Grandfather of Hori sisters.

Today, with their mother, the sisters find themselves in the unusual position of being a farm entirely owned and operated by women. After the passing of their father, the three women took over the running of the farm to continue their family’s legacy, one that began in these fields all those years ago. In the male-dominated tea agriculture and production industry, their efforts are a challenge to the status quo. At Yunomi, we are proud to support their dedication. To learn more about the Kiroku Tea Garden, please check out our interview with Ui Hori (posted April 2021).