Horii Shichimeien Matcha - Premium Narino

Premium Narino by Horii Shichimeien is a single cultivar Uji matcha from Okunoyama Tea Garden in Kyoto, and the pinnacle of what ceremonial grade matcha can be. Narino is a matcha cultivar developed by Horii Shichimeien in Okunoyama, the last surviving garden of the Uji Shichimeien, and this lot was finished to the standard they prepare for Japan's National Tea Competition.

The leaves are harvested by shigoki picking, a method regarded as even more meticulous than standard hand-picking. Once processed into tencha, they are sorted by hand with chopsticks, one leaf at a time, until only the most beautiful remain. That selected tencha is ground slowly on a stone mill.

The aroma opens the moment the tin does, rich and nutty and remarkably strong. On the palate it is umami in its purest form: clean, free of off-notes, with a concentration and creaminess beyond what the Narino cultivar typically yields. The color is equally distinct, a vivid, luminous green that is rare even among the finest Uji matcha. Prepared as koicha, the matcha turns thick and almost sweet, closer to something eaten than drunk.

Okunoyama is the last of the seven famous tea farms designated by the Ashikaga shogun during the Muromachi period. The other six disappeared to urbanization over the centuries. Horii Shichimeien acquired Okunoyama in the mid-Meiji period and has cultivated it ever since, and today they remain one of the only tea houses in Uji growing the matcha they sell in their own fields, carrying more than 600 years of Uji tea history forward.

Location: Uji, Kyoto
Tea Garden: Okunoyama Tea Garden (Horii Shichimeien's own garden)
Grade: Ceremonial, pinnacle level
Taste Profile: Pure, Concentrated Umami (Velvety, Creamy, Clean)
Cultivar: Narino (Single Cultivar)
Harvest Season: First Flush (Ichibancha)
Harvest Method: Hand-picked, shigoki method
Shading: Traditional shelf shading (tana), 40 days
Drying: Horii-style tencha furnace
Processing: Stone-milled

Umami: ◾◾◾◾◾◾
Sweetness: ◾◾◾◾◾
Astringency: □
Aroma: ◾◾◾◾◾

Best for: The most special occasions. Serve as koicha when the moment calls for something rare.

Usucha (Light brew): 15 servings
- Use 2g of tea leaves. (1 serving)
- Add 50ml of 160-175°F water

Koicha (Strong brew): 7 servings
- Use 4g of tea leaves. (1 serving)
- Add 50ml of 160-175°F water

Best before: 6 months from date of manufacture. Recommended to consume within 2 weeks after opening.

20g