Kan no Shiro is a medium bodied, graceful matcha from Ippodo. Smooth on the palate with a gentle refreshing bitterness, it carries a soft sweetness that makes it approachable for everyday use. This blend works best as an usucha as it strikes a good balance of vegetal notes and sweet umami with a whisper of bitterness, rounding out with a clean finish. As a latte, we recommend scaling back the milk to around 75/85 ml in order to enjoy more of the vegetal notes.
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 15-17 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 8 cups of tea
Water Temperature: 30ml of water at 80ºC
Weight | 30g
Origin | Kyoto prefecture, Japan
