Competition Ujihikari Matcha - Tsujiさん Shirakawa Uji
TASTING NOTES
Delicate. Ushiojiru (Clam Soup). Almond.
Exceedingly rare, hand-harvested and hand-tailored Hinpyōkai ひんぴょうかい (Competition) Matcha.
🏆 Emperor Award
Recipient of the highly prestigious Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Prize (農林水産大臣賞.)
The only Recipient of the Emporer Award for Matcha in Japan's History.
Stone-Milled: Fresh ground in Lawrenceville, NJ
TASTING NOTES
Delicate. Ushiojiru (Clam Soup). Almond.
Exceedingly rare, hand-harvested and hand-tailored Hinpyōkai ひんぴょうかい (Competition) Matcha.
🏆 Emperor Award
Recipient of the highly prestigious Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Prize (農林水産大臣賞.)
The only Recipient of the Emporer Award for Matcha in Japan's History.
Stone-Milled: Fresh ground in Lawrenceville, NJ
TASTING NOTES
Delicate. Ushiojiru (Clam Soup). Almond.
Exceedingly rare, hand-harvested and hand-tailored Hinpyōkai ひんぴょうかい (Competition) Matcha.
🏆 Emperor Award
Recipient of the highly prestigious Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Prize (農林水産大臣賞.)
The only Recipient of the Emporer Award for Matcha in Japan's History.
Stone-Milled: Fresh ground in Lawrenceville, NJ
About this Matcha
For the first time, Ooika is carrying a striking Hinpyōkai ひんぴょうかい Matcha. Hinpyōkai ひんぴょうかい means “competition.”
This isn’t a formal grade, but rather a special type of preparation the unmilled Matcha goes through to make it suitable for entry into competitions such as Japan's Annual National Tea Competition (全国茶品評会)
To be suitable for competition, the unground Matcha (known as Tencha) must be sorted by hand using chopsticks.
This process takes days of manual labor, often by the farmer and their family. Every individual leaf fragment is analyzed and sorted.
Leaf fragments that are not absolutely visually perfect are removed. The result of this expert craftsmanship is a final Matcha that stands far beyond others.
Experiencing Hinpyōkai ひんぴょうかい Matcha is quite literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
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To make a fresh and smooth bowl of Usucha or Koicha, follow our whisking instructions.
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Long-term Storage: Store unopened Ooika Matcha in the refrigerator. Consume within 6 months.
Room-Temp Short-term Storage: Store opened Ooika Matcha in a cool, dark place away from sunlight. Consume within 3 months.
Refrigerator Short-term Storage: Opened Matcha can be stored in the refrigerator to help maintain freshness, however, the Matcha is at risk of condensation when cooler than ambient air. For this reason, if you choose to store an opened Matcha in the refrigerator, be sure to take the Matcha you need and then immediately place it back in the refrigerator to minimize exposure to the warm air.
Ochairinikki (御茶入日記)
Category Green tea (お茶) |
Subcategory Oishitacha (おおいしたちゃ) |
Cultivar Ujihikari (宇治ひかり) |
Producer Tsujiさん |
Terroir Shirakawa, Uji, Kyoto, Japan |
Vintage 2023 |
Harvest Time Single Spring Harvest (一番茶) |
Harvest Method 100% Handpicked (手摘み, Tezumi) |
Shading Style Kanreisha (寒冷紗) |
Shading Duration 58 days |
Milling Ishi-Usu (石臼) Stone-Milled by Ooika |
Packaging Cold-stored, oxygen-free bag |
Visit the Farm
OOIKA MATCHA leads the industry with the most precise souring details and transparency. Let’s visit Tsujiさん’s farm and see where this Matcha comes from.
Awards
Tsujiさん had won Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries award for tencha as many as 6 times. He won 56th Prime Minister Award which is one of Emperor's three awards and awarded at Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Festival. Below is a selected, and non-exhaustive list.
Prime Minister Award, Japanese Emperor Award, at Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Festival.
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Award
Japan Tea Central Public Interest Incorporated Association Chairman Award
National Tea Producers Association Chairman Award
National Tea Commerce and Industry Association President Award
Japanese Tea Science and Technology Chairman Award
Sourcing Details
Cultivar Details
Ujihikari (うじひかり)
Ujihikari is a striking cultivar that originated from Uji, Kyoto, Japan in the mid-1950s. The cultivar has a characteristic bright and forward flavor.
It can be challenging to identify the type of tea plant when you’re in the tea fields—as they all look, well, like tea plants…
Ujihikari is the exception, due to the undulating leaves which ripple like waves of the ocean.
Producer Details
Tsujiさん
Tsujiさん holds multiple tea awards including the highly coveted Prime Minister’s Award for Agriculture in 2017.
Tsujiさん’s expertise has resulted in his teas having the highest level of L-Theanine among any of the producers in the country.
L-Theanine is an amino acid that contributes both to the savory taste in Matcha, as well as many of the calm-inducing psychoactive effects.
Region Details
Shirakawa, uji, kyoto, japan
For Matcha, no Terroir in the world exceeds Uji. Despite having worldwide recognition, the actual quantity of tea from Uji is impossibly small, and shrinking every year as development continues.
And in fact, the total demand for Uji Matcha far exceeds the supply, by orders of magnitude. Most Matcha labeled as being from “Uji” is not grown in Uji, but rather packaged there.
A subtle distinction is made in Japan by saying “Cha No Uji (茶の宇治)” versus “Ujicha (宇治茶.)” Cha No Uji (茶の宇治) literally translates as “Tea from/of Uji”, versus just “Uji tea.” This Competition Ujihikari is grown in Uji. It is exceptionally rare Cha No Uji (茶の宇治.)
