Unique & Limited Edition

The highest grade of gyokuro we sell from Japan's oldest continuously operating tea shop, Tsuen in Uji near Kyoto. Note that Uji Shirakawa Gyokuro is a very limited-edition item, we are supplying it because the opportunity to offer it presented itself to us and we strive to supply the best of the best. We do not recommend that you purchase this rare item unless you have previously practiced brewing gyokuro. O-Cha.com is honored to offer this superb green tea supplied to us from the Tsuen family who have operated their teashop from same location on the banks of the Uji river since 1160.

Grown in nearby Shirakawa, this is an extremely high quality gyokuro. Gyokuro is shade grown before harvesting, giving it a greener color and sweeter taste. Less that 0.5 % of all green tea harvested in Japan ends up as gyokuro, and among those, this gem is near the top. This green tea is hand-picked (rare - see video tab) and is pure "Gokou" cultivar. Another unique aspect is that unlike the majority of gyokuro grown today, the shading is not done with modern shade cloth but instead using traditional straw and reed screening. The combination of hand-picking and traditional shading methods makes this a very "old school" gyokuro.

Once you learn to make it properly, you will be hooked for life! Since this is a connoisseur grade of gyokuro and is not considered a beginner's green tea, make sure to read our how to brew gyokuro page as it is brewed differently than sencha.

Because this is a rather rare and expensive, we are offering it at this time in 30-gram packaging.

O-Cha.com now offers a higher quality of cooking grade matcha than what is usually encountered on the market. Because we are based in Japan, we are also able to do so at a very reasonable price.  As will all of our products, it is freshly packaged and does not spend weeks in ocean transit or sit for months on a warehouse shelf.

Further, we offer this in a 300 gram package.

Matcha comes in many quality levels but is basically separated into ceremonial grade and cooking grade matcha. While it’s true one could use any of our ceremonial grade matcha for cooking and as a food ingredient (and would in turn be especially magical), authentic, Japan-grown, ceremonial grade matcha is expensive and can make the price of a matcha based product prohibitively expensive. There is a reason why truly ceremonial grades of matcha are usually sold in 20 - 30 gram cans and not by the kilo. 

To see what goes into product a high quality ceremonial grade of matcha, do check out this matcha leaf video

We realize there is a real need for a matcha that while may not be suitable for the tea ceremony, is still needed to be of a sufficiently high enough quality to be used in lattes, smoothies, ice cream, baked goods, etc. Know that careful consideration went into our choice of cooking grade matcha because until we offered this product, we refused to sell anything less than ceremonial grade. We wanted real, authentic Japanese matcha.  Not powdered sencha, but matcha. Not grown in China, but grown in Japan. We wanted as high of quality as possible while still making the price reasonable. While this cooking grade matcha will not compete with the quality of our ceremonial grades of matcha, it's actually better than what many are offering online as supposed "ceremonial" matcha!

As with all of our products, this product You cannot get this kind of fresh product from outside of Japan.

Net weight 300 grams

Finally - An easier way to brew your favorite loose-leaf iced green tea!

• Simply turn the bottle upside down, add your favorite loose leaf sencha, gyokuro, or other tea, close the lid
• Fill with water from the top.
• Put into the refrigerator for about 6 hours.
• Enjoy!

Made from quality glass and stainless steel, in also has a nice neoprene outer cover to keep your beverage cold. 

Holds approximately 400ml (13.5 fl oz)

Measures 21 cm x 7 cm (8 3/4 in x 2 3/4 in)

Packed with umami and one of our personal favorites, this delicious green tea comes from Kagoshima and is of course harvested from the first round of young leaves.  When we first offered this in 2017, we knew we would buy it the moment we tried it. Organic Sae Midori asamushi is a light steamed green tea of the Sae Midori clone and is somewhat rare to be processed in the light steamed form. This product is both flavorful and aromatic, much more so than the typical deep steamed Sae Midori. If you are a light-steamed green tea fan, you should really enjoy this one.  As with all of our loose leaf green teas, packaged in nitrogen flushed packaging.

Note - While we will try to get a larger inventory this year, know that this tea usually sells out every year by December.

Price shown includes 100 grams of tea per package

Kawane Wa-Kōcha is Japanese Black Tea grown in Kawane town (川根町), located in the Haibara District of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. While this area is notable for its production of mainly green teas, it may be surprising to know there are numerous growers who specialize in producing black teas as well. This particular version is produced by a rather old and famous company founded in the 8th year of the Meiji period (ca 1875). The tea blender is a 73 year old tea master and uses high quality techniques in the orthodox manner similar to the way traditional Darjeeling is made, but with a Japanese touch. This tea has characteristics similar to both Darjeeling and Ceylon tea, has a strong aroma, a smooth flavor, and has hints of Japanese sweetness. Kawane Wa-Kōcha can be served straight or with milk and sugar (usually on the last infusion). The breed is a blend of Zairai and Benifuki clones. Unlike most Japanese produced black teas which usually come from the second harvest, due to the higher latitudes this tea is grown at, the producer blends this black tea with both first and second harvests, the ratio changing according to year and conditions. The resulting tea results in a more bold flavor than normally encountered with other Japanese black teas.

To brew this particular tea, unlike with traditional green tea, you can achieve best results by bringing fresh water to nearly the boiling point in a kettle (instead of an air pot or water heater), and brewing two teaspoons per 8 ounces of water for 3 to 4 minutes.

If you also enjoy black tea in addition to Japanese green tea, consider adding this rare item to your shopping cart today!

Package includes a full 100 grams of high quality Japanese black tea.

We came across this rather unique Japanese health related product recently. Similarly Japanese made products offered to customers outside of Japan are usually priced at many times what we offer this fantastic product for. Made by an older, established company in Kumamoto prefecture Japan, this high quality persimmon soap produces a creamy lather and is blended with persimmon tannin, green tea extract, and red clay. It removes oxidized sebum, dirt. In Japan persimmon soap is often used as a solution to the dreaded old person smell (known in Japanese as kareishū 加齢臭) where it is of particular concern due to the high value placed on personal hygiene.

"Old-Person Smell" Really Exists, Scientists Say...

This soap contains high levels of persimmon tannin extracted from persimmon fruit. The tannin in persimmon fruit helps to abolish nonenal chemicals associated with old person smell and has a deodorant effect, acting to reduce body odor associated with seniors.

Persimmon leaf sushi has an antibacterial and deodorant effect. The persimmon tannin in it is believed to have a deodorant effect when it chemically reacts with body odor.

Added Green Tea Extract!

Unlike other expensive, competing products, green tea extract has been added to this soap. Green tea extract contains high levels of polyphenols (catechins), has an added astringency and deodorant effect, among other beneficial effects.

Having personally used this product ourselves, we can attest that it is a very pleasant general purpose soap in addition to it's other unique properties.

Country of Origin: Japan
Contents: 80 grams / 2.8 oz 
Product Size (width x depth x height): 67mm x 62 mm x 23 mm

 Sources

(1) http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/31/old-person-smell-really-exists-scientists-say/
(2) Amanda MacMillan - http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/30/scientists-confirm-existence-of-old-person-smell/