Ippodo Tea's Seiun Matcha is a well-rounded tea for all applications. A lighter blend than the Ummon-no-Mukashi, this is an aromatic blend with initial sweet and savoury, nutty notes of milk chocolate and sable butter cookies. As it aerates, the vegetal aromas shine, dominated by the savoury minerality of kelp. This is the least sweet blend of the range, the initial taste is nutty and savoury with rich* umami. As it travels through the mouth, it gets creamier with a gentle sweetness. All through the drink, the vegetal notes are deep, rich and ever-present as it balances all the other nuances. With almost undetectable bitterness or astringency, the lingering notes are savoury, buttery smooth, creamy and gently sweet like a melt in your mouth salted butter sable. Seuin has a beautiful depth and is one of the blends we recommend savouring in order to appreciate all its nuances.
Many of the Ippodo matcha names were given by the heads of respective schools of tea ceremony in Kyoto. Seiun was bestowed by Hōunsai, the 15th head of the Urasenke school.
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. This family owned business is now in the hands of its 6th and 7th generation. 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.
Serving Recommendations
Usucha (Thin Tea) Recommended amount per cup: 2g (sift for a smoother, delicate consistency)
Servings Per Tin: Averages 20-24 cups of tea
Water Temperature: 60ml of water at 80ºC
Koicha (Thick Tea) Recommended amount per cup: 4g (sift for a smoother, delicate consistency)
Servings per Tin: Averages 10-12 cups of tea
Water Temperature: 30ml of water at 80ºC
Under the Ippodo Tea Rich classification, this equates to more depth, lingering taste and more pronounced umami and sweetness.
Weight | 40g
Origin | Kyoto prefecture, Japan
Announcement from Ippodo Tea • 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.
