Premium Ceremonial Matcha Koicha Iwai no Mukashi

Ryuouen | 柳桜園 | Uji, Kyoto Prefecture

Established in 1875, Ryuouen (柳桜園) is an unusual case among long-established teahouses, as it's run by only nine employees.

Ryuouen is a tea producer rooted in the historic tea-growing region of Uji, Kyoto - an area long regarded as the heart of Japan’s finest green tea. With deep respect for tradition, Ryuouen cultivates and processes Uji matcha and sencha using time-honoured methods refined over generations.

Carefully managing cultivation, shading, harvesting, and stone-grinding, they focus on producing tea with clarity, depth, and balance. Their teas are characterised by vibrant colour, refined umami, and a clean, lingering finish.

Dedicated to quality and seasonality, Ryuouen’s work reflects the craftsmanship and quiet precision that define authentic Uji tea.

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.