What makes Midori Spring Matcha a premium product?

Our tea plantations and production process play a vital role in the quality of our Matcha. Midori Spring Matcha's vibrant emerald green and rich aroma is the result of our high production standards. We are proud to be Organic (Certified USDA Organic by NOP via U.S. and Japan organic equivalency agreement, Certified EU Organic via EU and Japan organic equivalency agreement, JAS Organic Certified by OCIA), Kosher (OU) Certified* (Gold and Emerald Class), Vegan Certified (Vegan Action), GMO, Gluten Free and rich with other benefits good for your well-being. Our ceremonial and culinary grade Matcha are made from 100% authentic Japanese tencha.

Our Matcha Process:

1. We only select the best raw material (tencha). Our tea plantations are designed to provide shaded sunlight 21-30 days before harvest.

By shading, the tea leaves naturally expand to collect more sunlight. This allows the tea leaves to become very soft and produce more chlorophyll giving it that vibrant green. The amino acids are maintained in the leaves during this process giving them a sweet taste and aroma. We strive to produce high L-theanine content in our leaves. The costs associated with a shading facility are much higher compared to a standard green tea production. Our organic tea trees are planted differently than the regular tea tree to maximize the oxygen flow to the roots. The organic tea trees have 8 meters to grow their roots instead of the standard 2 meters. The roots are like animals, they need oxygen just like us. The roots need to breath before they drink water or eat. We check and make sure the soil is soft, an indication oxygen, food, water can get to the roots. 

2. Organic premium ceremonial grade Matcha only comes from the 1st flush (also known as the 1st harvest). Second flush leaves are used for more economical ceremonial grades. Our organic, ceremonial grade Matcha contains only the best quality 'first flush' leaves, characterized by their rich, dark color, and sweet taste.

3. After the tea leaves are hand picked, they are quickly steamed at a specific low temperature on the same day (usually in the afternoon) to stop fermentation.

The leaves are then cooled. The tea leaves are not rolled and twisted, instead they are gently blown and cooled using a mild flow of air in the cooling machine.

Once cooled they are dried in a controlled temperature for 20 to 40 minutes.

Before grinding, the tencha leaves have their stems and vines removed.

4. Our carefully selected premium darkest tencha is only grinded by a Mikage Stone Mill. The pattern on the Mikage Stone Mill is hand made and developed based on 1200 years of Matcha history. Only premium ceremonial grades are processed with the Mikage Stone Mill, ingredient grades are grinded by a Jet Mill Machine. The Jet Mill Machine grinds at a higher temperature therefore it will not produce a sweet aroma. The Mikage Stone feels cold when you touch the stone itself. The type of stone, pattern, weight, and number of spins all play an important role in the quality of the Matcha. One Mikage Stone Mill can only produce 30 to 40 grams of Matcha per hour.

5. We are unique because our Matcha is sampled by a 9th degree tea master known as a Cha Shi 茶師. Our Cha Shi is trained to quickly identify the type of tea only by tasting and smelling. There are only ten 9th degree tea masters.