Tsukumo no Shiro is a soft green matcha powder with a deep umami fragrance touched by the warmth of toasted soy glazed rice cracker and the earthiness of dark chocolate confectionary. The aroma sits in that distinctly Japanese space between savoury, earthy and delicately sweet, offering a calm medium bodied character.
Whisked as usucha, it opens with pure umami and a bright vegetal clarity that feels immediately satisfying on the palate. A gentle sweetness develops through the middle and back of the sip, creating a smooth and balanced finish with no sharp edges. The overall impression is clean, steady and quietly refined.
With milk it becomes a naturally harmonious latte. The colour holds beautifully and a soft green melon note appears, giving the cup a light sweetness. Comfortable, balanced and versatile, Tsukumo no Shiro is an easy daily favourite.
AOI Seicha traces its origins to Nishio in Aichi prefecture, a tea growing area recognised for more than 800 years as one of Japan’s finest regions for matcha, with cultivation records dating back to the 13th century. The Honda family, whose hollyhock crest appears as the AOI emblem, rose to prominence during the Sengoku and Edo periods. Their crest is closely related to the Mitsuba Aoi used by the Tokugawa clan, one of the most powerful samurai families of the Edo era from 1603 to 1868.
In the early Taisho era in the 1900s, Honda Yasutaro reclaimed unused farmland in Nishio and established the first AOI tea fields. Production was done entirely by hand until the 1930s, when the second generation owner, Meiji Honda, introduced mechanised processing and helped raise the profile of Nishio tea throughout Japan. As president of the Nishio Tea Association and later chairman of the Aichi Prefecture Tea Business Federation, he played a central role in the region’s growth. In 1955, at the National Tea Competition held in Nishio City, AOI Seicha won the Tencha division, firmly establishing the name of both AOI and Nishio tea. Successive generations of the Honda family have continued to refine production so that AOI Seicha matcha can be appreciated around the world today.
Serving Recommendations
Usucha (Thin Tea) Recommended amount per cup: 2g
Servings Per Tin: 15 cups
Water Temperature: 60-80ml of water at 80ºC
Weight | 30g
Origin | Nishio, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
