Newly Picked Green Tea
Spring brings the first teas of the season, and two new producers to our shelves.
From Kagoshima, Chiran-cha has been making deeply steamed sencha since 1967, blending varieties like Yutaka Midori for a tea with gentle sweetness and depth.
From Kyoto, Zenkyu Matcha offers a quieter rhythm, an invitation to slow down and make the preparation of matcha part of the everyday.
Two distinct expressions of green tea, each rooted in quiet dedication.
Chiran Tea Garden from Kagoshima
Chiran sits at the southern tip of Kagoshima, where warm weather and rich volcanic soil shape some of Japan’s most distinctive green tea. Chiran-cha’s deeply steamed sencha has a smooth, rounded character, best enjoyed slowly, with a thoughtful brew.
Zenkyu Matcha
Zenkyu Matcha begins with the idea that preparing tea can be a small daily pause. Rooted in the traditions of Zen Buddhism and the Japanese tea ceremony, it invites a slower rhythm, to whisk, settle, and return to the present moment. First-harvest matcha, stone-milled in Kyoto, made for everyday drinking.
The name “zenkyu (禅休)” blends two Japanese words:
ZEN (禅) — from Zen Buddhism,
KYU (休) — meaning “pause” or “rest.”
Through the ritual of matcha, Zenkyu encourages small moments to pause, reflect, and step away from the pace of everyday life, a quiet expression of Zen.
Mindfulness
For over a thousand years, Zen Buddhism and the Japanese tea ceremony have shaped a quieter way of living, grounded in presence and simplicity. Zenkyu Matcha draws from this tradition through the simple ritual of making matcha. Pour, whisk, sip. A small pause in the day, and a chance to return to the present.
Health Benefits
Matcha is made from whole tea leaves, finely stone milled to retain their natural character. Rich in antioxidants and naturally occurring compounds such as L-theanine and caffeine, it offers a calm, steady energy that fits easily into the everyday.
