Uji Homare is a classic Gyokuro produced by our friend Hisakii Horii, an 8th-generation tea maker and current CEO of his family’s tea business, Hekisuien—a prestigious Kyoto-based tea company established in 1867. Hekisuien focuses on traditional and ultra-premium Gyokuro and Matcha. They use blending techniques that combine different cultivars and vintages to shape a unique taste and quality unlike other Gyokuro and Matcha producers. Hekisuien’s focus is not so much on single-cultivar selection, but rather on the uniqueness achieved through aging and blending vintages of different cultivars from various producers and regions of Uji and Kyoto. The Homare blend represents the classic blue-green essence and vibrancy of Gyokuro from the Uji tea terroir. Its complexity is derived from aged and blended cultivars, including a high percentage of Gokou. Homare is about 50% handpicked and 50% scissor-cut.
