MMC 11/23: Kurazumiさん Okumidori (おくみどり) Hoshino Matcha
Matcha Mill Club is our monthly Matcha membership, where we stone-mill a new single-origin Matcha and ship it out within 24 hours of milling every month. This article details the Matcha we shipped for November 2023!
Dear reader,
The month of November is significant to the world of Matcha. We’ll discuss why while drinking this year's new vintage of Kurazumiさん Okumidori.
Kuchikiri Ceremony
October/November is around the time Matcha concludes its half-year aging process. In the Japanese Tea Ceremony, known as Chanoyu (茶の湯) the Kuchikiri Ceremony and Robiraki. Simply put: the “Tea New Year.”
Kuchikiri Ceremony
October/November is around the time Matcha concludes its half-year aging process. In the Japanese Tea Ceremony, known as Chanoyu (茶の湯) the Kuchikiri Ceremony and Robiraki. Simply put: the “Tea New Year.”
Marc from Ooika performing a Chanoyu ceremony in Guadalajara Mexico
Chashi Refresher
As mentioned last month: tea companies in Japan have tea masters, known as Chashi (茶師) who handle tea material. You can think of them as similar to the “head chef” of a restaurant.
These Chashi (茶師) blend tea (like blended scotch, or wine), handle the purchasing of new raw material, and oversee the aging process of unground Matcha, known as Tencha.
In the old times, this aging was done by stuffing large ceramic tea jars, known as Chatsubo (茶壷.)
Kuchikiri
Today, the Japanese tea ceremony celebrates the opening of these jars. Ushering in the new Matcha for the year.
In Japanese, Kuchi (口) means “mouth” and Kiri (切) means “cut.” Thus, Kuchikiri means “cutting the mouth” – referring to the seal on the jar. The seal is literally cut with a knife, revealing the aged tea.
Opening of the Ro
In Japanese, Ro means “Hearth.” In the Japanese tea room, a hearth is used to boil water. For the warmer half of the year, a Furo (風炉), “wind hearth” is used.
Around early November, the Furo is removed from the tea room and a sunken hearth is used. The sunken hearth is known simply as Ro (炉.) As the Ro is in the middle of the tea room, it radiates heat and warms guests.
Anyhow, there is a formal event where the hearth is opened. Robiraki (炉開) literally translates to “hearth open.”
The Tea New Year
All of this occurs in November, making the month significant for the world of tea. We thought we could celebrate by milling the new 2023 vintage of Kurazumiさん’s Okumidori.
Kurazumi 2023 National Tea Competition 1st Place Winner!
Kurazumiさん is one of Japan’s most exceptional farmers. 2023 was a significant year for him, as he secured his third 1st-place win at the highly competitive National Tea Competition in the most prestigious division: Gyokuro.
(Gyokuro is a shaded sencha-like green tea. It shares many characteristics, such as savioriness as Matcha.)
Thus, Kurazumiさん now holds three Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Prizes (農林水産大臣賞.) Receiving even one is a life-altering event… From a Western perspective, a first-place win at the National Tea Competition is not too unlike receiving 3 Michelin stars.
The tea bushes that produce the Matcha for this month’s Matcha Mill Club are grown steps away from the 1st place Gyokuro bushes. Ooika is deeply thankful to Kurazumiさん for providing us with such exceptional material.
Please enjoy this month’s NEW 2023 vintage from Kurazumiさん! Please compare it to the 2022 vintage we sent out last year.
Light, young spring green color. Fatty, darker creme pulls to the center of the Usucha with airy light-colored foam around the edge of the bowl.
Clean, open aroma and smooth aroma. Reserved in its character, polite and soft-spoken — yet direct and soulful, with a rich unsalted butter base and spring-water mid. High notes are present - especially initially though subdued and pleasant. Base notes are downwardly weighted but airy.
Soft raw almond. Damp and sunny, like a sun-shower — in this way, a yin heart uplifted by ample yang. The texture is oblong, leaving a cool coating on the tongue, lips, and back of the throat.
Share your Experience
As always, your support of Ooika is greatly appreciated. Please share your own tasting notes and experiences with this month’s Matcha and tag us on Instagram @ooika.co or on YouTube here.
Sincerely,
Marc
Ooika’s Miller
