This is the highest grade of matcha produced by our farm partner in Uji, Kyoto.  Made entirely from plant material that grows near a river bed, thus producing the most fertile soil on the farm.  The taste is clean with no bitterness, slight vegetal notes of hay, with end notes of edamame and sweet peas.  

We named this blend "Tana" after the traditional shading method employed over supreme quality plants.   Traditionally tea plants intended for matcha production were shaded with canopies that mimicked the natural shading of trees(blocking out about 60 - 70% of the sun) with straw canopy tops that hovered over the plants, but never touched them.  These plants are shaded for 20. -30 days before production. Our farm opts to use the modern black tarps which make things more economical.

Because this method is so much more labor intensive than the Jikagise method, where tarps are directly draped over the leaves, "Tana" method is reserved for the most pristine plants.  In comparison to Jikagise shading, this method never allows the tarps to touch (or sufforcate) the plants, and it allows the plants to freely flush. 

The Origin：Uji,Kyoto, Japan
The Cultivars: Samidori, Asahi, and Uji HIkari
The Harvest：first flush tea (high grade)
The Method:  Hand Picked