Organic Tencha Usuore

Heritage Japanese Green Tea - Mizuba Tea Co.

An unusual tea indeed! 

If you've followed Mizuba for a while, you'll know that while we offer the classic Japanese teas – matcha, genmaicha, and sencha, for example — we also like to showcase small lots of unusual or unique styles that you might not see that often! Our newest organic tencha usuore is one of these special offerings. 

If you're a matcha lover, you might be familiar with tencha. Tencha is rare to find — the vast majority of tencha is reserved to be milled into matcha. But many don't know it also brews as a supremely elegant cup of loose leaf tea! Definitely check out our tencha selection to be able to try the full "leaf to matcha" experience. 

Tencha Usuore is a "deep cuts" style of tencha. Specifically, our tencha usuore is grown under a double layer cover for up to 35 + days before harvest. Once ready, this hand-harvested tea is made from the leaf matter that is sorted and removed from organic tencha leaves in processing. All tea undergoes a sorting process when it is "aracha" or "raw tea" (aka — everything that was harvested prior to being refined in processing). Often this material comprises of stems (kukicha) and leaves that are too lightweight to be ground in the ishi-usu matcha mill.

But don't think that this makes the leftover, sorted-out tea material something to pass on! Because it is part of tencha and has been meticulously shade-grown and harvested by hand, this style of tea allows producers to repurpose this delicious leaf matter into a beautifully refreshing, yummy tea that also is abundant in the amino acid L-theanine. 

We enjoy this tea hot, but it is delicious as mizudashi (cold-brewed tea). There's nothing more refreshing! Don't miss out on this very unique and rare Japanese tea experience. 

Tasting Notes:

Aroma: light, grassy sweetness like sweet pea

Flavor: As mizudashi, this tea has juicy and vigorous umami with refreshing, fruity citrus notes! If brewing hot, the tea is like a gyokuro - thick and very silky with notes of sweet corn custard. 

Tea Details: 

Location: Fushimi-ku, Kyoto

Harvest Season: Spring

Cultivar: a wonderful blend of Saemidori, Samidori, Gokou

Brew Guide: 

If you brew it warm, you'll want to treat this tea like a gyokuro. But we *highly encourage* you to make mizudashi with this tea! Here are our recipes. 

Amount: 5g

Water: 50ml of 40ºc (104ºF) water

Time: 2.5 minutes

Must do - Make Iced Tea! 
• Use 15g of tea to 1 liter of cold water. Refrigerate overnight, strain, and enjoy!
Our tencha usuore is great for both slow ice-steeping and cold brewing. Learn 3 different methodologies to make iced tea here.

Food Pairing:  Nori senbei

Sold in either 50g or 100g bags. Store in a cool, dark location. Best consumed within 3 months.