MMC 07/23: Yoshidanさん Samidori (さみどり) Uji Matcha
Matcha Mill Club is our monthly Matcha membership, where we stone-mill a new single-cultivar Matcha and ship it out within 24 hours of milling every month. This article details the Matcha we shipped for July 2023!
Dear reader,
Important note: Before we begin, we’ve created a private Facebook group for members of the Matcha Mill Club only, called the Matcha Mill Club by Ooika.co. Please consider joining to connect with other Matcha lovers.
Second Important note: This month’s Matcha will be the first 2023 vintage from Ooika available!
Yoshidanさん
Introducing Yoshidanさん, a 16th generation (400+ years) producer. As you could imagine it was very humbling to meet him along with his brother, and nephew.
Before we speak about the actual Matcha of the month, let me paint a picture of the Yoshidan family based on some of their accomplishments and responsibilities.
Caring for the Yoshidan Field
Yoshidaさん’s Samidori field is located just outside of the family home, within the heart of Uji – Ogura. Marked with an inscribed stone, the field has been active for over 200 years.
Managing the Konsanji Temple Garden
Yoshidaさん has the incredible responsibility of managing the oldest tea garden in Japan at the Kosanji Temple (耕三寺) in Kyoto, as did his father (15th generation) and grandfather (14th generation.)
The Buddhist monk largely credited for bringing tea to Japan for the first time from China was Myoan Eisai (明菴栄西) around 1191.
He brought tea seeds back from China and first planted them at Mount Sefuri (脊振山) on the border of Saga and Fukuoka.
Next, he gave some seeds to the monk Shounen from Kosanji Temple (耕三寺) in Kyoto, where they were planted. This was the start of tea in the Kyoto and Uji regions.
According to Discover Kyoto, “The oldest tea field in Japan is also located in a humble plot on the grounds- at one time it was considered the only "true" tea plant to make the drink from.”
Chairman of the Uji Tea Hand-rolling Preservation Association
In ancient times, tea leaves were rolled by hand. This “rolling” is to break the cell wall of the tea leaf and allows it to release its flavor and aroma when steeped as a final product.
Today commercial tea rolling is done exclusively by machine in Japan. Yoshiさん presides as chairman of the Uji Tea Hand-rolling Preservation Association to ensure this ancient technique and tradition is not forgotten.
In fact, Yoshidaさん’s grandfather's method of hand-rolling tea was certified by the Japanese government as an intangible cultural property.
National Tea Competition Wins
Lastly, the “Superbowl” of Japanese tea is the National Tea competition that’s been continuing for the last 75 years.
The Yoshidan family has participated in every year’s competition since its inception and holds over 20 first-place titles.
Uji’s Reputation
Uji is the heart of Matcha. Not only did modern Matcha originate from this region, but it’s also culturally tasked with preserving the most traditional tea cultivation methods.
The individual farmers of Uji recognize that their tea connects backward and forward in time. Don’t mistake their light and joyful personalities for a lack of seriousness. Matcha is a serious matter here.
Ogura
Here we can understand Uji Matcha and Yoshidan. The city and family are inseparable. During my visit two or so years ago I met with Yoshidanさん’s nephew. He showed me the fields and spoke to me about their approach to Matcha.
At that time, Ooika was unable to acquire any Tencha. That should be no surprise - Ooika was (and still is) a very new company. Not to mention the small matter of the Yoshidan Tencha (unground Matcha) selling out every season.
“Maybe next time…” I thought to myself. Well, that next time finally came.
Yoshidaさん’s 2023 Samidori
Ooika is ecstatic to present this 2023 Vintage, Samidori cultivar from Yoshidaさん’s field in Ogura, Uji, Kyoto. This tea was milled fresh by Ooika right here in the United States.
This Matcha is one of the most conservative Matcha available at Ooika: the tea comes from a 200-year-old field. It’s been hand-picked known as Tezumi. It’s been straw shaded, known as Honzusaibai. Finally, it’s sorted with bamboo rather than metal.
The above is an image of Ooika’s Miller, Marc, holding the very Tencha that was ground into this month’s Matcha along the Uji River—the same river that nurtured the tea plants in the Matcha.
Two Millings
This is our first 2023 Matcha available this year. It is typical of Matcha to have a resting period for a number of months known as “Jukusei.”
Jukusei “rounds out” the Matcha, introducing a heightened smoothness to it—no different than the effect of aging wine or scotch.
Ooika will be doing two mills of Yoshidanさん’s Samidori for educational purposes.
The first milling is this month’s Matcha (July, 2023) and it is of course the unaged version. It is not typical to mill unaged Matcha of this caliber.
Our next Milling of Yoshidanさん’s Samidori will be in November 2023 - after the 5-month cold-aging process has concluded.
We strongly recommend keeping your tasting notes for this Month’s Matcha handy to compare it to the same Matcha in November after it’s been aged.
Tasting Notes
Coruscate emerald basked in shadows. Oi aroma, sweetness, faint buttery nut. Forward movement, from the middle of the base of the tongue, upward. Refreshing triangular tannins, with points expected with non-jukusei Matcha. Fatty marrow, avian savoriness... braised duck in a clear stock? Vegetable tips, caramel raw pecans, juicy afternotes. Young-like, full of vigor and opinion. Complex, but not lost.
Share your Experience
Would you be so kind as to write a review of this month’s Matcha? It would genuinely help Ooika grow (if you’re on board with our mission of supporting heritage tea farmers in Japan!)
If so, you can post your review on our Website for this month’s Matcha here, or even on Reddit, by email (just hit reply), etc. If you post any great photos or videos on social media of this month’s Matcha, be sure to tag us!
Follow Ooika on Instagram at @ooika.co or on YouTube here.
Sincerely,
Marc
Ooika’s Miller
