Review: Uji Hikari Micro Terroir (2021) – Ooika

About

There’s a lot to say about this tea so buckle up!

This Uji Hikari comes from Uji, the most famous tea region in Japan. Because Uji matcha has such a high reputation, some companies will transport their tencha to Uji to be processed and call their matcha “Uji Matcha” even though the tea wasn’t grown in Uji. This tea however is grown AND processed in Uji. As they say in Japan “Cha No Uji” (tea produced and grown in Uji).

Unfortunately the farmer of this matcha is not listed, but for good reason. They have opted to remain anonymous due to their reputation and the highly limited supply of this tea. The labeling “Micro Terroir” is used to represent their anonymity.

This matcha was handpicked and shaded with plastic for 42 days before harvest for optimal quality. Shading increases the umami flavor in matcha and 42 days is on the longer side (hint: this tea has a lot of umami).

Review

So what makes this matcha so special? Unlike most matcha that’s ground in Japan and then shipped across the country, Ooika does the grinding on-site in the US. This means optimal freshness for us! And boy is that freshness apparent.

The aroma, color, and taste are absolutely outstanding and complex. Upon opening, you are met with a deeply saturated green and a POWERFUL sweet/marine scent.

On theme with Uji Hikari, the taste is wide and umami centric. One of my friends once described the taste of Uji Hikari as liquid nori and I completely agree. The umami is definitely the marine type as opposed to, say a mushroom or soy sauce.

Conclusion

I’ve had Uji Hikari before, but nothing like this! I can assure you that Ooika’s on-site milling is no gag. Once you’ve experienced freshly milled matcha it’s hard to go back.