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About this Matcha
This Ooiwase is produced by one of Yame’s most respected tea figures, Eshimaさん, whose work continues to define the region’s highest standards. Eshimaさん was awarded the prestigious Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Prize (農林水産大臣賞) in 2014 for his contributions to the advancement and preservation of Yame tea. He also serves as president of the 700-member Miroku-en tea co-operation, which includes many of the producers Ooika has featured, such as Kumaさん and Kurazumiさん.
After harvest, Eshimaさん sends the unrefined tea (Aracha) to Nakashimaさん, a 6th-generation master tea refiner, for final refinement. Nakashimaさん applies a carefully controlled Hiire (light firing) at approximately 90–100°C for 12–30 minutes, customized specifically to this batch.
This delicate firing helps set and stabilize the flavor, reduce moisture, and preserve freshness without pushing the tea into excessive roastiness. Freshness, color, and roasty aromatics exist in careful tension, and achieving balance requires deep experience. Nakashimaさん’s refining house has been in continuous operation for over 130 years, and each Hiire is expertly adjusted.
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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 Tsuyuhikari (つゆひかり) |
Producer Eshimaさん |
Terroir Yame, Fukuoka, Japan |
Vintage 2025 |
Harvest Time Single Spring Harvest (一番茶) |
Harvest Method Senteiki (剪定機) |
Shading Style Kanreisha (寒冷紗)) |
Shading Duration 18 days |
Milling Ishi-Usu (石臼) Stone-Milled by Ooika |
Packaging Cold-stored, oxygen-free bag |
Producer Details
Eshimaさん
President of the Yame Miryoku-en Co-operative 八女美緑園製茶, with over 700 members.
His expertise has helped grow Yame to international recognizability.
Awarded the highly prestigious Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Prize (農林水産大臣賞) in 2014 by The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries for his work in supporting tea from Yame.
Nakashimaさん
6th-generation master tea refiner, located in the heartland of Yame.
Part of the refining process of Yamecha is a final toasting step known as “Hiire.”
Each batch of unground Matcha, known as Tencha, is individually examined and bespoke roasted.
CULTIVAR
Tsuyuhikari (つゆひかり)
Tsuyuhikari is a significant cultivar from Shizuoka prefecture. Initialy the cultivar could be grown anywhere in Japan. Breeding rights were restricted to just Shizuoka around 2021, and are set to end around 2028. There are farms that have Tsuyuhikari, but they they can't be propagated.
This all may be do to its increasing popularity and exceptional quality. Shizuoka has restricted the selling of Tsuyuhikari seedlings outside of the prefecture since 2021. This makes Tsuyuhikari from non-Shizuoka farmers fairly rare.
First bread in 1970 at the Shizuoka Prefectural Tea Experiment Station from Shizu-7132 and Asatsuyu under the line name "70-30-302," Tsuyuhikari went through testing between 1991 to 1997. Ultimately, the name Tsyu (dew) Hikari (light) was chosen, hoping the the new plant (registered as Cultivar No. 11103) in 2003 would bring new light to the tea industry.
In terms of cultivation Tsuyuhikari is early budding, a day or two before Yabukita. Being especially disease, pest, and cold resistant, less pesticides are needed than Yabukita. Consisting of strong early growth, good weight-per-shoot (known as Mejuu) that results in an overall high yield.
Shizuoka Prefecture has worked on research into high-quality "food-processing-grade tencha" based on the sencha cultivars that are already widely grown in the prefecture. Tsuyuhikari was one of them. There are even some farms in Uji that grow it, though this is rather uncommon. The cultivar has a well balanced taste that's fresh, mild, with a bright color.
TERROIR Details
Yame, Fukuoka, Japan
Located in the northwest sector of Kyushu Island, Fukuoka Prefecture stretches to the east, connecting to Japan's main island, Honshu, through the Kanmon Straits. Traveling west, we reach the Saga Prefecture, known in the old times as the Hizen province, which encompassed the current Nagasaki Prefecture. Hizen was an entrance to Japan from the Korean Peninsula and mainland China. Fukuoka became a road for all the merchant goods and immigrants traveling through the mainland island on their way to, perhaps, Kyoto, the capital at that time. Fukuoka is still a bustling city known for its night food culture and Yame tea.
Zen Buddhism followed the same old path. Eisai, believed to have introduced tea seeds into the country together with earlier monks, planted some in the Sefuri Mountains, now the border with Saga Prefecture, where some remnants of a temple complex still exist together with their tea field. Fukuoka and other Kyushu prefectures are known as centers of Kamairicha production that used pan-firing instead of steam from the Chinese and Korean influences in the region. In the early 19th century, the prefecture eventually embraced steaming techniques developed in Uji, which would inevitably shift its production methods.
Yame, in the south of the prefecture, is regarded as an excellent terroir for Gyokuro. Thanks to the adoption of shading, long steaming, innovative farming techniques, and rich variations of nutrient-rich soil types. Yame has consistently dominated the Gyokuro competitions for many consecutive years.
