Matcha Green Tea | Ceremonial Grade | Master Sakamoto Organic Garden | 1 oz Tin

Elmwood founders Bruce & Shelley Richardson first visited the Sakamoto Organic Tea Garden in Kagoshima, Japan, in 2019. Master Sakamoto takes great pride in his garden's “bokashi,” which roughly translates to “fermented organic matter.”

He uses composted organic plant food, including rice bran and indigenous microorganisms, one of the key ingredients in his nutrient-rich tea. This bokashi is the only fertilizer used on his plants and is free of chemicals and pesticides found in many other tea farmers' soils.  He also grinds up carefully selected, mineral-rich rocks to mix in with his soil, adding essential minerals as well as assisting in the flow of water, microorganisms, and nutrients in his soil.

Master Sakamoto puts his plants into almost total darkness three weeks before harvest, which intensifies the chlorophyll and forces the amino acid L-theanine up from the roots. He only picks in the spring, and then the plants are allowed to rest until the next year's harvest.

Ceremonial Matcha: Please note that in order to brew Ceremonial Matcha, you will need a tea bowl and whisk. 1. Prepare tea bowl by warming it with boiled water. 2. Prepare your Matcha whisk by soaking the tip in the hot water for about 10 seconds. 3. Pour the water out and dry the bowl with a towel. 4. Using your matcha scoop or teaspoon, add 2 scoops of Matcha to each bowl. 5. Pour 1/3 of a cup of your hot water into each bowl. 6. In a slow “m” motion, submerge any loose bits of Matcha that may be floating on the surface of the tea. 7. Whisk the tea more briskly in a back-and-forth motion until the surface of the Matcha becomes frothy. 8. Consume immediately. In Japan, it is customary to drink the entire bowl in 3 quick slurps.