Uji, Kyoto is known for the absolute highest grade Matcha in Japan, and no other region can even come close to claiming that they produce a Matcha that rivals even a middle grade Matcha from Uji.  The art of growing green tea was developed here in Uji, and is the closest kept secret around.

Lighter Green tea Usucha

Green tea in general is divided into 3 categories; Koi-cha (thick tea), Usu-cha (thin tea), and Cooking Matcha.  Usucha, or sometimes known as ousu, is used for tea ceremony, is used when serving Matcha to guests, and is the Matchat that is served in the Zen Temples.  Usucha is not intended for “thick” bowls of Matcha, but rather for the “lighter” bowls of Matcha, and is quite often preferred by those who drink Matcha daily.

Affordable Usucha

Our premium grade Usucha, is a great option for those who want to enjoy an affordable, yet an extra delicious Matcha for tea ceremony or for a daily bowl of Matcha.  This blend is known for its sweetness, smoothness, mellowness, and its lightness.

In reality, this grade of green tea is often the highest grade of green tea that the average Japanese will encounter in his or her daily life, unless he or she attends formal tea ceremonies.

Higher Quality Mactha Usucha

Although you could possibly use this Matcha for cooking, if you choose to do so, save it for those special dishes that require an extra rich flavor with a deeper green.  Remember, this grade of Matcha, although mid-grade, is considered to be quite an outstanding blend for drinking, and may be a higher quality Matcha then the “high-class” Matcha that you can find locally!

Amount: 40g (1.41oz)

Container: Steel Container

Uji, Kyoto is known for the absolute highest grade Matcha in Japan, and no other region can even come close to claiming that they produce a Matcha that rivals even a middle grade Matcha from Uji.  The art of growing Matcha was developed here in Uji, and is the closest kept secret around.

Matcha Usucha  for serving Gusts

Green tea in general is divided into 3 categories; Koi-cha (thick tea), Usu-cha (thin tea), and Cooking Matcha.  Usu-cha, or sometimes known as ousu, is used for tea ceremony, is served when , and is the Matchat that is served in the Zen Temples.  Usu-cha is not intended for “thick” bowls of Matcha, but rather for the “lighter” bowls of Matcha, and is quite often preferred by those who drink green tea daily.

Our superior grade Usu-cha is an entry level green tea that is great for drinking usu-cha, for tea ceremony, and does very well in many Matcha based beverages, such as green tea Lattes.  This is a blend that is often used in tea-ceremony lessons.

Cooking with Matcha

Although this is our lowest grade of Usu-cha, you may find that this is a better blend than many of the Matcha’s that claim to be “high quality”.  If you are new to Matcha, this is a great place to start.  This blend is also good for use in cooking especially rich Matcha cakes, makes a wicked Matcha Icecream, and is also good for mixing it in with Sencha or other green teas in where you need an extra kick!

Amount: 40g (1.41oz)

Container: Steel Container

Uji, Kyoto is known for the absolute highest grade Matcha in Japan, and no other region can even come close to claiming that they produce a Matcha that rivals even a middle grade Matcha from Uji.  The art of growing Matcha was developed here in Uji, and is the closest kept secret around.

3 Categories of Matcha Powder

Matcha in general is divided into 3 categories; Koi-cha (thick tea), Usu-cha (thin tea), and Cooking Matcha.  Cooking Matcha is often used for those who want to practice whisking the Matcha for their tea ceremony lessons, but would rather not use the more expensive blends.

Our premium grade cooking Matcha, is a blend for when the extra color and flavor of Matcha matters in you’re cooking and/or baking.  This Matcha is a “borderline” Usu-cha, so it could be used for drinking, but lacks the sweetness and mellowness of Matcha of a higher grade, and can be somewhat bitter if used for brewing Matcha.  However, it does great in Matcha based drinks that are made with milk or cream, such as Matcha milkshakes or Matcha lattes!

Matcha Cooking Powder

This is the Matcha used in the Matcha based cakes and/or deserts that are served in high-end restaurants and/or sweets shops.   This Matcha is sometimes sold as entry level “drinking Matcha” (although once again, we do not recommend it if you want to drink straight Matcha!), so if you have had Matcha in the past and felt it was a little bitter, this may have been what you were drinking.

We offer this tea in larger bags, as the expected use is for cooking.  Seal and store in the refrigerator to make sure that it keeps it flavor and aroma.

Amount: 200g (7.04oz)

Container: Aluminum Bag

Uji, Kyoto is known for the absolute highest grade Matcha in Japan, and no other region can even come close to claiming that they produce a Matcha that rivals even a middle grade Matcha from Uji.  The art of growing Matcha was developed here in Uji, and is the closest kept secret around.

3 Categories of Matcha

Matcha in general is divided into 3 categories; Koi-cha (thick tea), Usu-cha (thin tea), and Cooking Matcha.  Cooking Matcha is often used by those who want to practice whisking the Matcha for their tea ceremony lessons, but would rather not use the more expensive blends.

Our superior grade cooking Matcha is excellent for all types of cooking/baking that involves Matcha.  It is not recommended for using in a straight bowl of Matcha, but could be mixed into other drinks and teas.

Start Cooking with Matcha Green Tea

Cooking Matcha is not as thickly colored as drinking Matcha, and lacks the sweet mellowness of drinking Matcha, but don’t underestimate its potency when used for making sweets and cakes!  It will produce some absolutely fantastic deserts.

We offer this tea in larger bags, as the expected use is for cooking.  Seal and store in the refrigerator to make sure that it keeps it flavor and aroma.

Amount: 200g (7.04oz)

Container: Aluminum Bag

  Organic Japanese tea represents roughly 1% of the tea produced in Japan, and is a rare treat. At Matabay, although limited in supply, we only offer organic tea picked in tea farms of Uji that are officially certified Organic by the  of Japan.

Limited Organic Tea

   The reason we mention a “limited” supply, is because there are very few tea farms/plantations in Uji that specialize in organic tea and can claim they make their tea without any chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

  In order to produce a high grade Organic Sencha, you need to be not only a master in farming tea, willing to put forth the extra effort required, and able to take the risks in doing so, your tea plantation must be located in the perfect location in where you are blessed by the environment, yet have a natural “buffer” or “barrier” between your farm and the non-organic farms.  Then, on top of that, you need to be blessed with the perfect weather condition.  While regular Sencha is picked 2 to a maximum of 5 times a year (which is only possible in the warm climate of Southern Japan, such as Kyushu), in order to produce high quality organic tea, realistically speaking, you can only pick the leaves once.  Anything after that, due to the fact that you cannot use the fast acting non-organic fertilizers, the quality drops so much, that it is hardly worth using for a beverage.

Finest Organic Sencha from Uji

  This Organic Sencha, is the finest that Uji has to offer.  Full in flavor, yet delicate, mellow, yet bursting with life.  This tea is quite different from “non-organic” Sencha, and is reminiscent of how tea used to be, before modern day fertilizers, pesticides, and the ways of modern day farming.

  Because this tea is a delicate tea in where freshness matters, we have packaged it in a steel can with a specially designed lid to keep it extra fresh.

Amount: 80g (2.82oz)

Container: Matabay Steel Can

  Organic Japanese tea represents roughly 1% of the tea produced in Japan, and is a rare treat. At Matabay, although limited in supply, we only offer organic tea picked in tea farms of Uji that are officially certified Organic by the Ministry of Agriculture , Forestry, and Fisheries of Japan.

  The reason we mention a “limited” supply, is because there are very few tea farms/plantations in Uji that specialize in organic tea and can claim they make their tea without any chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

A Tea Plantation for Gyokuro

  In order to produce a high grade organic Gyokuro, you need to be not only a master in farming tea, willing to put forth the extra effort required, and able to take the risks in doing so, your tea plantation must be located in the perfect location in where you are blessed by the environment, yet have a natural “buffer” or “barrier” between your farm and the non-organic farms.  Then, on top of that, you need to be blessed with the perfect weather condition.

 While regular Gyokuro is picked 2 to 3 times a year, in order to produce high quality organic tea, realistically speaking, you can only pick the leaves once.  Anything after that, due to the fact that you cannot use the fast acting non-organic fertilizers, the quality drops so much that it is hardly worth using for a beverage.  This is not to say that there are farmers who will go ahead and harvest their organic teas 3 times a year… but not in this case.  Our 0rganic Gyokuro only uses hand picked first flush leaves, and is very limited in supply.

Gyokuro Tea that is light, and sweet

This organic Gyokuro is light, sweet and mellow, the aroma is fresh, and is very elegant.  Although quite different from the non-organic Gyokuro, it is a flavor that reminds one of how tea tasted back when Gyokuro was first discovered.

 Because this tea is a delicate tea in where freshness matters, we have packaged it in a steel can with a specially designed lid to keep it extra fresh.

Amount: 80g

Container: Matabay Steel Container

Only the finest of the Sencha tea leaves are selected, which are then processed especially for Sencha tea bags so that each brew will be perfect.  No need for formal tea ware, and no mess involved.  Perfect for use in the office, for travel, or for when you just want a quick cup of some good green tea.

Quality Sencha Tea Bags

You may find that tea brewed using our teabags will be far superior to any other green tea you can get locally.  Yes, they are that good.

These tea bags are designed for making hot green tea and cold tea.  For cold tea, you just put the teabag in a tall glass, pour water, stir the teabag around for 20 to 30 seconds, add some ice cubes, and it is ready.

The Sencha tea bags feature high grade Uji Sencha that focus on the natural sweetness and aroma of the tea leaves, not the sharpness.  This is a mellow blend that even those new to green tea will be able to enjoy.

Amount: 5g x 15 tea bags

Container: Resealable Aluminum Pouch

Matabay’s tea bags combine the flavor and aroma of the finest Japanese teas along with the convenience of use of pyramid tea bags, but are not to be confused with any other “green tea tea bags” that you may find on the shelf of a supermarket.  Only the finest of the tea leaves are selected, which are then processed especially for tea bags so that each brew will be perfect.  No need for formal tea ware, and no mess involved.  Perfect for use in the office, for travel, or for when you just want a quick cup of some good green tea.

You may find that tea brewed using our teabags will be far superior to any other green tea you can get locally.  Yes, they are that good.

These tea bags are designed for making hot green tea AND cold tea.  For cold tea, you just put the teabag in a tall glass, pour water, stir the teabag around for 20 to 30 seconds, add some ice cubes, and it is ready.

The Gyokuro tea bags use high grade Uji Gyokuro that focus on the mellowness, sweetness, and aroma of the tea leaves.  Not as strong as some of the other Gyokuro teas, but is perfect for a casual cup of Gyokuro.  If you have never had Gyokuro before, or would rather avoid the high prices of the higher grade Gyokuro’s, this is a great place to start.  This is a high value item, and highly recommended.

Amount: 5g x 15 tea bags

Container: Resealable Aluminum Pouch