Ryuouen
Ceremonial Matcha Ofukucha '大福茶' for Japanese New Year | Ryuouen
Ceremonial Matcha Ofukucha '大福茶' for Japanese New Year | Ryuouen
Couldn't load pickup availability
This matcha is Ryuouen's highest-grade usucha, known as Miyabi no Shiro. Each year, it is blessed in prayer at Ōishi Shrine in Yamashina, Kyoto - a place deeply connected to Ōishi Kuranosuke. With wishes for health and protection throughout the year. Please enjoy it as Ofuku-cha for the New Year, a tea taken to invite good fortune and well-being.
The Story of Ofukucha
Over a thousand years ago, during a time of epidemic, the Buddhist monk Kūya carved an image of the Eleven-Faced Kannon. Tea offered before the deity was then shared with the sick, and it is said that the illness gradually subsided.
When this reached Emperor Murakami, the custom of drinking tea at the beginning of the year was adopted as an auspicious court ritual. Originally known as Ōfuku“ a royal serving” - the practice eventually became known as Ofuku, meaning “great fortune.”
In earlier times, Ofukucha was prepared with small pickled plums, sanshō pepper, kombu, chestnuts and other seasonal ingredients. On New Year’s Day, it was whisked using wakimizu, the first water drawn of the year. Today, the ritual has been simplified, and carefully selected new or freshly stored tea is used instead.
There is an old saying: morning tea wards off misfortune for the day. We invite you to enjoy this auspicious bowl of Ofukucha as a quiet moment to set intentions for the year ahead—for clarity, good health, prosperity, and long life.
Artisan
Established in 1875, Ryuouen '柳桜園' is an unusual case among long-established teahouses, as it's run by only nine employees. One day, we received some tea from Ryuouen as a souvenir from Japan and were incredibly impressed by its taste. We contacted Ryuouen, and they explained, "We make an effort to maintain the quality of our tea, and to achieve this, we prefer to keep our business small." They sell their products exclusively in their own stores, do not sell online, and only open pop-up shops a few times a year. Additionally, what impressed us was that they haven't changed their method of selling tea. It takes one hour to grind 40 grams of matcha, and the tea is sold by weight in their store.
After sharing our enthusiasm for matcha with them, they agreed to let us sell their products in Australia. We are honoured to be able to bring their matcha to Australia and share this exceptional tea with you.
Share
