Honzu-shaded for 30 days before being hand-picked, this tea whisks up into a soft, creamy and elegant usucha, but shines best as a rich and powerful koicha with a long finish and vibrant aroma. This matcha was picked from the same fields used to produce an award-winning Dento Hon Gyokuro. Compared to the kuradashi offering of this tea, which was aged for 1-2 years before grinding, this tea has a brighter, fresher taste profile with a more verdant aroma. Honzu (本簀) shading is the most traditional shading method. Dating back at least over 400 years, the Honzu method uses the same shelf system as kanreisha but uses a screen of reeds as the first layer of shading instead of synthetic fabric. Though considerably more labour intensive and expensive to construct, the reed screen allows for even more air and moisture to circulate around the plants producing higher-quality, more complex teas. Additional layers of shading are added by placing straw mats on top of the reed screen.
