TSUJIKI SEICHA Asahi Competition Grade Matcha | Limited edition

20g

CHF 270.00

TSUJIKI SEICHA Asahi Competition Grade Matcha | Limited edition

CHF 270.00

Currently in Japan for this season’s harvest. Orders ship from June 3rd.

By Kiyoharu Tsuji, 5th-generation tencha farmer. Prime Minister Award winner and producer of tea for the Emperor and Imperial Family of Japan

Award-winning • Limitied edition • Single cultivar Asahi • First harvest • Hand-picked • Traditionally shaded • Stone-milled • Harvested and produced entirely in Uji-Shirakawa, Kyoto, Japan • Suitable for usucha and koicha

Kiyoharu Tsuji, 5th generation tencha farmer, Uji-Shirakawa, Kyoto
• Prime Minister’s Award for Agriculture, 56th edition
• Minister of Agriculture Award, six times
• Producer of tea for the Emperor and Imperial Family of Japan

Tsuji-sensei has led the family farm since 1990. He conducts monthly soil analysis to ensure optimal growing conditions and tests his leaves annually for amino acid content to verify quality. His son now works alongside him, the 6th generation of the Tsujiki legacy already in training.

He does not blend matcha from other farmers. He does not blend vintage years. Every tin is a single producer, single harvest, single season expression.

2024 First Harvest (Shincha)

Tsujiki harvests only once a year, placing absolute priority on quality over quantity.

Each spring, Tsuji-sensei sets aside a very small micro-lot of his finest young Asahi tencha leaves — the same selection he reserves for Japan's national tea competitions. Only a few kilograms are carefully hand-picked at peak youth, then processed separately with the same precision applied to his competition submissions. This is not a production matcha. It is the best of the best of an already exceptional harvest.

Asahi — A heritage cultivar prized for its mellow aroma and elegant flavour. Asahi is one of the most sought-after cultivars for competition-level tencha, and Tsuji-sensei's Asahi field has been the foundation of his most celebrated wins.

Tsuji-san's Asahi cultivar has earned dozens of awards at the regional and national level:

Minister of Agriculture's Award at the 2022 National Tea Competition. The highest honour for tencha in Japan
3rd place at the National Tea Competition in 2023 and 2024
Multiple awards at the Kyoto and West Japan (Kansai) regional competitions
56th Prime Minister's Award for Agriculture
Minister of Agriculture Award, six times
Producer of tea for the Emperor and Imperial Family of Japan

Color & Texture:
Vivid green, exceptionally fine, light-bodied

Flavor Profile:
Intensely sweet and delicate with a clean, luminous quality. Closer to a fine white wine than the bold umami profile of many high-grade matchas.

Character:
Ethereal, refined, and strikingly pure. A competition-tier matcha for connoisseurs seeking something rare.

How to Prepare Usucha (Thin Matcha)

Matcha: 2 g (about 2 scoops with a chashaku). Sift the matcha.
Water: Approx. 60–70 ml, heated to 80°C
Whisking: Using a bamboo whisk (chasen), whisk in an "M" or "W" motion for 30 seconds or until a layer of fine foam forms on the surface.

How to Prepare Koicha (Thick Matcha)

Matcha: 4 g (about 4 scoops with a chashaku). Sift the matcha.
Water: Approx. 30–40 ml, heated to 80°C
Kneading: Using a bamboo whisk (chasen), slowly knead the matcha in gentle circular motions until smooth and glossy with no foam. The consistency should be thick and paint-like.