It was nothing short of amazing when I travelled to the city of Uji in the prefecture of Kyoto. I was lucky enough to visit in Autumn and was taken aback by the incredibly beautiful scenery. It’s no wonder why Kyoto is high on the list for autumnal trips. Just a bit of history, Kyoto was once the capital of Japan. Yes, Tokyo was named the capital in 1868! As such Kyoto is rich in history and to this day remains one of the most popular places in Japan to visit. Kyoto is also the Matcha capital of Japan. If you visit you will never run out of unique Matcha cafes or treats. Uji in particular is best known for this.
Matcha in Uji
The city of Uji over the years has developed into the benchmark for high quality Matcha. Once you see Uji on the box, there is a high probability that you are in for some amazing Matcha tea. This is because over the years tea farmers have been perfecting their methods of growing, harvesting and converting the green tea leaves into the rich, green Matcha powder. When I visited the farm in Uji where we get our Matcha powder from, I was speechless. It was beyond anything I imagined. The pictures I saw prior didn’t do it justice. The farm was surrounded by mountains with lush trees. The hills were paved with bright green tea plants, a shallow stream ran between the plants, the crisp cool air tickled my nostrils and I felt a calm and peaceful aura. Everything about this place was magical. It was evident that a lot of care and effort was put into the upkeep of the farm. I definitely could see why our PetitPoppers tasted so great.
My supplier went on to explain to me that two of the reasons our Tea is of such good quality were the cool climate and the soil. The soil was rich in nutrients, perfectly moist and ideal for green tea to thrive. The climate was cool, and she mentioned that it stayed that way even in the summer months because of the mountains. Having some control over the temperature and also the amount of light that hits the tea leaves is critical for high quality tea. Everything matters, this is also why across brands there is a stark difference in the quality, colour, potency and taste of Matcha.
In part 2 we will delve deeper into what really separates high quality from low quality Matcha and how the tea moves from plant to Matcha powder.
The city of Uji over the years has developed into the benchmark for high quality Matcha. Once you see Uji on the box, there is a high probability that you are in for some amazing Matcha tea. This is because over the years tea farmers have been perfecting their methods of growing, harvesting and converting the green tea leaves into the rich, green Matcha powder. When I visited the farm in Uji where we get our Matcha powder from, I was speechless. It was beyond anything I imagined. The pictures I saw prior didn’t do it justice. The farm was surrounded by mountains with lush trees. The hills were paved with bright green tea plants, a shallow stream ran between the plants, the crisp cool air tickled my nostrils and I felt a calm and peaceful aura. Everything about this place was magical. It was evident that a lot of care and effort was put into the upkeep of the farm. I definitely could see why our PetitPoppers tasted so great.
My supplier went on to explain to me that two of the reasons our Tea is of such good quality were the cool climate and the soil. The soil was rich in nutrients, perfectly moist and ideal for green tea to thrive. The climate was cool, and she mentioned that it stayed that way even in the summer months because of the mountains. Having some control over the temperature and also the amount of light that hits the tea leaves is critical for high quality tea. Everything matters, this is also why across brands there is a stark difference in the quality, colour, potency and taste of Matcha.
In part 2 we will delve deeper into what really separates high quality from low quality Matcha and how the tea moves from plant to Matcha powder.
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