Matcha 201: Cultivars, Origin & Grade

Matcha has a family tree. Let’s meet the relatives.

You’ve whisked your first matcha. Now it’s time to meet the family. In this tasting workshop, we’ll whisk and sip our way through a lineup of single-cultivar matchas, including Samidori, Okumidori and Yabukita, and discover how cultivar, origin and grade shape what ends up in your bowl.

No milk, no sugar. Just matcha, as it’s meant to be tasted. You might even pick up a few Japanese words along the way.

Limited seats, only 6 spots available.

Reserve your ticket on our website or in store.

What To Expect
Over 90 minutes, you’ll taste matchas side by side, whisking some yourself and sharing others as “rare pours”. A few of our samples only stretch to a single bowl, so we’ll split those between the group, one precious sip each. Along the way, we’ll cover how matcha is graded, what “ceremonial” really means (and doesn’t), how to spot a good matcha by colour, aroma and texture, and how to keep it fresh at home. You’ll leave with your tasting notes and a list of the Japanese words we used.

New to Matcha?
We recommend starting with Matcha 101: Whisk & Sip on Saturday 14 November. You’ll learn to whisk a proper bowl and arrive ready to taste like a pro. Not essential, though: we’ll start with a quick whisking refresher.

A Few Practical Notes
Matcha dust is surprisingly good at finding light-coloured clothing, so we’d suggest wearing something you don’t mind getting a little green on.

All tools and matcha are provided, but if you have a chasen or bowl you love, feel free to bring it along.

You’ll be tasting several matchas, and matcha contains caffeine, so we’d recommend having breakfast before you come. If you’re caffeine-sensitive, let us know and we’ll keep your portions extra small.