Okumidori Matcha · classic tin, 40 g
Free delivery in Ireland over €60 · Free pickup at OMMA Café, Brown Thomas · Delivery & returns →
OMMA has grown up with every trip to Japan, and has a new look. This is one of the last of our classic tins: our very first design, with the girl who has a whisk on her head. The same matcha inside, now for less.
The matcha OMMA began with: first-harvest Okumidori from Takeshi-san’s family farm in Miyazaki, roasted by hand to his own recipe. Smooth and creamy, with deep umami and almost no bitterness. Lovely whisked with water or in a latte.
Usucha
Mix 2 g of matcha with 10–15 g of water (80°C) in circular motions to make a smooth paste.
Once it’s fully dissolved, add 90–100 g of water.
Whisk briskly in a zigzag motion until a soft foam forms.
Iced Matcha Usucha
Add 2g of sifted Matcha to a tumbler or thermos, add 200ml of cold filtered water and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Pour over ice.
Koicha
Add 25 g of water (80°C) to 3 g of matcha.
Knead slowly with the whisk in circular motions, without whisking to a froth, until thick and silky with no foam.
Matcha latte
Whisk 3 g of matcha with 40 g of water (80°C) until smooth.
Add 150–180 ml of milk. We recommend ROA milk for a perfectly balanced cup.
Pairs well with: nutty flavours, sweet sesame paste, maple syrup.
This is a matcha for focus: a calm body and a clear, sharp mind. It’s for time on your own, when you want to write down your thoughts. and have gentle me time, settle into an important task, or simply enjoy your work in a state of deep, easy flow.
Okumidori (おくみどり) means “late green”. It was bred in Japan by crossing the classic Yabukita with a native Shizuoka variety, and registered in 1974. It’s a late-budding cultivar, waking about a week after Yabukita, so its leaves grow more slowly and develop a deeper flavour. Okumidori responds beautifully to shading, which makes it a favourite for matcha and gyokuro. It gives a vivid emerald colour and a smooth, creamy taste with deep umami and almost no bitterness.
Direct shading. 3–4 weeks before harvest, nets are laid directly over the tea bushes to shield them from the sun. The leaves become softer, vivid green and rich in umami.
Harvest. Before picking, the bushes are cleared by hand of dry leaves, insects, cobwebs and anything else that doesn’t belong. Then, from early to mid-May, only the youngest, most tender first-flush leaves are picked, using large Kawasaki machines. Family friends and anyone with a love of tea come to help, even fishermen from Miyazaki, who join Yuka, Takeshi’s wife, in bringing in the harvest.
Steaming. Right after picking, the leaves are steamed to stop oxidation and keep their colour and freshness.
Drying. The leaves are dried flat, without rolling as for sencha. This makes tencha, the base for matcha.
Refining. Smart sorting machines remove the stems and veins, leaving only the pure leaf.
Roasting. The leaves are then gently roasted to Takeshi-san’s own recipe. This is where the sweet, nutty notes typical of southern Japan are born.
“The tea sleeps”. The tencha is sealed in airtight bags and rested in cold rooms for about 5 months. During this time its flavour matures, gaining depth and complexity.
Milling. The tencha is ground using a modern machine method that combines speed, efficiency and consistent quality.
Storage: keep in a cool, dry place.
Is it ceremonial? There is no certification or grading in Japan that defines a "ceremonial" grade. Matcha is only ceremonial when it’s prepared in a tea ceremony. This is a first-harvest, shade-grown matcha made to be enjoyed pure, whisked with water, and it’s lovely in a latte too.
Tin or refill? The same matcha. Start with the tin, then top it up with the refill pouch: same taste, less packaging.
