Ippodo's origins date back three centuries to the year 1717, when Rihei Watanabe established a shop called Omiya to sell tea and ceramics. In 1846, the shop was renamed Ippodo, which literally means “preserve one.” The name was bestowed by Prince Yamashina, who enjoyed Ippodo tea and wanted the shop to preserve one tradition: providing high quality tea.
Today, this family owned company is run by its 6th and 7th generation and continue to remain devoted to high quality Japanese tea. Ippodo’s expert tea growers cultivate their finest tea leaves in Kyoto’s Uji, a region long-reputed for its tea production. In the picturesque and idyllic mountains of Uji, lies some of the finest and oldest tea fields in Japan. It is here, in the heart of two river basins and the neighbouring misty hills, that the high-grade tea leaves are freshly harvested during spring. Drawing from 300 years of expertise, Ippodo's labor-intensive production process involves carefully handpicking, shade growing and stone grounding the tea leaves which gives them their full-bodied and umami-filled flavour.The result is an authentic flavour that delicately blends the rich umami taste with a refined sweetness. Imbued with each brew is the concept of ichi-go ichi-e (meaning: one opportunity, one encounter), a wisdom taught in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony that embraces each fleeting moment with tea.
Please Note • Due to increased packaging, production and raw material costs, Ippodo Tea has increased their price from 1.10.2024. Information from the brand available here. In line with this price increase, our price adjustments for Ippodo Tea will come into effect 21.10.2024.
