Every true tea on earth comes from one plant — Camellia sinensis 茶樹. So why do our four taste like different universes? Four things decide what a leaf becomes: the cultivar 品種, the terroir 風土, the plucking 摘採, and the processing 製法 — above all oxidation, the master dial. Japan's tea masters chased umami through shade; Taiwan's high-mountain growers chased fragrance through altitude. Same leaf, different mountains, different answers. Every tea we send carries its origin story with it — these are what those stories look like.
Daily Matcha
日常抹茶
The leaf's journey
Later-harvest leaves, steamed within hours of picking to stop oxidation (kill-green 殺青), dried into tencha, stems and veins removed, then stone-ground to powder. Less shade than ceremonial means more catechins 儿茶素 — brisk, bright, and bold enough to stand up to milk instead of disappearing into it.
How to brew
Usucha 薄茶 — 2g, sifted (clumps are the enemy), + 70ml water at 80°C. Whisk fast in a "W"/"M" motion until microfoam. Latte — 2g + 200ml hot milk + a touch of sweetener. Iced works too — shake it hard.
Ceremonial Matcha
儀式抹茶
The leaf's journey
First-harvest leaves only (一番茶 ichibancha), shaded for 3–4 weeks (覆下栽培 ōishita saibai, shade cultivation). Starved of light, the leaf floods with chlorophyll and L-theanine 茶氨酸 — the calm-focus amino acid behind that deep, brothy umami 旨味. Steamed, air-dried, stone-ground slowly so the aroma survives.
How to brew
Usucha — 2g sifted + 70ml soft water at 75–80°C. Warm the bowl (茶碗 chawan) first, whisk to a fine foam. Koicha 濃茶 — 4g + 40ml water, kneaded slowly. Reserved for special occasions and special people. No milk, no sugar — that would be ketchup on wagyu.
Daily Golden · Alishan
日常金茶 · 阿里山
The leaf's journey
Qingxin 青心烏龍 — or the naturally milky Jinxuan 金萱 — growing at 1,000–1,600m in Alishan's clouds. The bud and first two leaves (一心二葉) are withered, tossed to bruise the edges, oxidized about 20–30%, then kill-greened, ball-rolled (團揉), and dried. Lightly oxidized, so it stays fresh and green at heart and pours golden 金黃湯色.
How to brew
Gongfu 工夫茶 — 7g in a 100ml gaiwan 蓋碗, water at 95°C, flash steeps of 20–40 seconds. Six to eight infusions, each one different — the leaves wake up across the afternoon. Lazy — 3g in a mug at 90°C, refill all day. Still delicious.
Ceremonial Golden · Lishan
儀式金茶 · 梨山
The leaf's journey
The same craft, a higher garden — 2,000m+ on Lishan, among Taiwan's highest. Thin air and huge day-night swings slow the leaf down; slow leaves make fragrant tea. Tiny hand-picked yields turn silky, with orchid and a pear-like sweetness (fitting — 梨 means "pear"), plus 喉韻 hóu-yùn, the throat resonance tea people chase for years. The scarcity is real, not marketing.
How to brew
Gongfu like Alishan, but gentler — 7g, 90–95°C, even shorter first steeps. It will give 8–10+ infusions; don't rush it, and never boil it to death. Slow morning, phone away, small cups — saved for guests, milestones, and quiet.
These are our target profiles from research. Final tasting notes lock when real samples arrive — the leaf always has the last word.
