Yoshidaさん Samidori (さみどり) Ogura Uji Matcha. 20g

$54.00

sold out

Refreshing. Duck Fat. Dashi.

A complex, buttery, and forward 2023 Shincha from one of Uji’s most legendary families, Yoshida.

🏆 Awarded Producer

Recipient of the highly prestigious Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Prize (農林水産大臣賞.)
Caretaker of Japan's first tea garden at Kozanji temple.

Stone-Milled: Fresh ground in Lawrenceville, NJ

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About this Matcha

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 - think braised duck in a clear stock. Vegetable tips, caramel raw pecans, juicy afternotes. Young-like, full of vigor and opinion. Complex, but not lost.

Few names in Uji carry the weight of Yoshida. The family’s involvement in Uji tea traces back over 400 years - nearly as far back as Tea master Sen no Rikyū elevated the tea ceremony to an art.

Yoshidaさん is a 16th-generation farmer, whose current field is over 200 years old. In addition to cultivating high-grade tea, Yoshidan protects the legacy of Uji tea as a whole. Some other notable achievements or responsibilities of the Yoshida family include:

Caring for Japan’s oldest tea garden at Kosanji: Yoshidaさん has the incredible responsibility of managing the oldest tea garden in Japan at the Kosanji Temple (高山寺) in Kyoto, as did his father (15th generation) and grandfather (14th generation.)

Chairman of the Uji Tea Hand-Rolling Preservation Association: In ancient times, tea leaves were rolled by hand. Today commercial tea rolling is done exclusively by machine in Japan. Yoshidaさん presides as chairman of the 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.
Twenty 1st Place National Tea Competition Wins: The “Superbowl” of Japanese tea is the National Tea competition that’s been continuing for the last 75 years. The Yoshida family has participated in every year’s competition since its inception and holds over 20 first-place titles.
The history of high-grade Matcha that has made Uji a household word across the world can hardly be separated from the Yoshida family name. Ooika is thrilled to mill Yoshidaさん’s heritage Matcha fresh, right here in the United States.
The family hand-picks the tea (known as Tezumi), shades the tea using traditional rice straw (known as Honzu Tana), uses Bamboo rather than metal sorting tools, and even grows their own rice to provide the material for shading.
To make a fresh and smooth bowl of Usucha or Koicha, follow our brewing instructions.
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)

Yoshidaさん

I was struck by the jovial nature of the Yoshida family.

Despite their lightness, they carry a great weight of responsibility to preserve the 16th generations of their lineage - and of the reputation of Uji as a whole.

Yoshida Matcha, and Rice

Just beyond the tea farm is a rice plantation, planted by the Yoshida family.

The purpose? To provide the rice straw needed to shade tea.

They gave me a bag of brown rice on my visit from the field

Back home in the USA, I made a dish of chazuke—using their rice and their Matcha.

Along the Banks of the Uji River

Yoshidaさん’s farm is fed by the nearby nutrient-rich Uji River. The mists from the river produce an excellent natural shade that increases the savory notes in the Matcha.