Bringing Uji’s Organic Matcha to the World Stage: A Devoted Endeavor a Deux

Beyond Mere History and Tradition, an Abiding Passion for Organic Uji Matcha Itself

Kane7 Hatakeyama Seicha has been in business as an Uji tea producer and wholesaler for over 270 years – since 1751, when Japan was still in the samurai-ruled Edo period – and Tomoharu Hatakeyama is its 20th generation head. Not content to rest on this legacy, Hatakeyama strives to connect this specialized form of Japanese green tea with its future aficionados, working by trial and error to discover how best to do so. In March 2024, Hatakeyama opened the Kane7 Matcha Lab, an “experience cafe” attached to his tea processing plant. He also holds workshops and is active as a tea artist.

Opportunities to partake in matcha as an element of Japanese culture are on the rise around the world

Kane7 Seicha specializes in organic products grown without chemical fertilizers. “Organic matcha is difficult and expensive to cultivate,” explains Hatakeyama. “But there is simply no comparison when it comes to the taste of the final product. Anyone who tries it will understand, but finding opportunities for new people to try it was one of our big challenges.”

Tomoharu Hatakeyama, proprietor of Kane7 Hatakeyama Seicha, founded 1751

In 2019 Kane7 participated in the Japanese Tea Selection Paris, a competition held in France. There, its took home the grand prize, extending its recognition far beyond the shores of Japan. “Matcha now has global popularity,” says Hatakeyama, “but the truth is that an appreciation for the different flavors of different varieties of matcha has not yet followed suit. Even in Japan, many people judge matcha based entirely on preconceptions such as whether they recognize the name of the producer or whether it was grown in a famous place. Our aim is a matcha that literally anyone at all can simply try and love without any of this.”

The dark green color that is one marker of high quality tea

Matcha Sweets Supreme, with a Sommelier’s Sensibilities

Treee’s Kyoto is a matcha confectionery brand that exclusively uses organic Uji matcha, founded in 2021 by Shinsuke Kimura. After starting out in the music industry, Kimura became a restaurant manager and sommelier before transitioning into working as a confectioner and sweets-and-wine consultant.

Shinsuke Kimura, the proprietor of Treee’s Kyoto

Tasting genuine Uji gyokuro (the highest grade of green tea) was a major turning point for Kimura. “I was honestly moved,” he says. “It was completely different from any tea I’d ever tasted, with a powerful bouquet and lingering depth of flavor, like a grand cru wine.” Captivated by the tea, Shinsuke set out to explore ways to express its rich flavor in craft confectionery.

Matcha confections that bring out the best of the tea’s flavors

Kimura is unique among confectioners for bringing a sommelier’s sensitivity to the craft. As a holder of the highest qualification available to sommeliers, Kimura is equipped with both excellent senses of smell and taste as well as the analytical skills to detect subtle notes, intuit ingredients, and find pairings that enhance them. “Rather than simply following a recipe, I try to interact with the tea in a way that helps best express its qualities according to the climate conditions of a given day.” And this is why the tea treats Kimura crafts are unlike anything else out there.

A Match Made in Matcha

Kimura came across Kane7 Hatakeyama Seicha during his quest for the highest quality organic Uji matcha to incorporate into his confections at Treee’s Kyoto. “I firmly believe Kane7 Hatakeyama Seicha makes the best matcha not only in Uji, but in the world,” he says. “It’s a tremendous honor and a joy to craft sweets using matcha of such unparalleled delicate quality.”

Top grade organic Uji matcha, crafted to Kane7’s meticulous standards

Speaking on his approach to conceptualizing a new confection, Kimura says, “The main character is always matcha. I communicate with it to discover the individuality within, and come up with my own recipes and methods based on what I find. In the end, I try to create a matcha confection that has never before existed.” To do this, quality alone isn’t enough. For Kimura, it’s essential to partner with the producers themselves who grow a single-origin (single varietal) tea. “Mr. Hatakeyama taught me all about the individuality and differences of each leaf, which go with the essence and charm of organic Uji matcha. Through our partnership, I can create with the finest and rarest tea leaves as the star of my show. A grower as particular about his quality standards for organic Uji matcha as Mr. Hatakeyama is truly a rare breed.”

Hatekayama strives tirelessly to popularize Uji matcha and the tea culture of Japan to the world

Hatakeyama, in turn, was impressed with what Kimura did with his leaf – a reaction which further inspired Kimura. “It was the first time in my life I’d eaten a matcha confection that actually tasted like matcha,” Hatakeyama recalls of trying Kimura’s sweets. “I’m inspired every day by Kimura’s creations, and I want to keep working with him to popularize Uji matcha around the world.”

A Unique Matcha Experience for All Five Senses

“We want even people completely unfamiliar with matcha to try real Uji matcha and discover its deliciousness for themselves.” And from that shared dream, this special Wabunka experience was born – where participants can steep themselves in matcha with all five senses, and appreciate the passion behind it.

Guests experience grinding tencha tea leaves into matcha powder

Participants in this experience begin by learning from Hatakeyama all about the process of cultivating tea leaves and processing them into matcha powder – followed by a tasting course of original sweets that expresses each stage of the production process as a flavor.

Top class matcha chocolates that bring out the best of the flavors of the tea

Uji matcha is enjoyed in a variety of ways, including steeping the unground leaves (called tencha), crafting sweets with matcha powder, or brewing it in tea ceremony. And this experience allows participants to delight in the different flavors and aromas of each different method. Says Hatakeyama: “I want everyone to experience the true flavor of matcha, its deep and subtle sweetness, and the richness of the Uji variety.”

The Desire to Deliver Authentic Organic Uji Matcha the World

These two men are united by a shared dream of spreading authentic organic Uji matcha to the wider world. Even though matcha has achieved global recognition and reach, most people have still never tasted real Uji matcha and are therefore unable to appreciate what makes it great. “I was once one of them,” says Kimura. “But when I discovered the real thing, I was hooked. If you were to compare authentic, hand-picked organic Uji matcha tea to wine, you might call it the Romanée-Conti. I want people to come to Kyoto and experience with all five senses this, the highest form of what hundreds of years of history and tradition have produced.”

Top grade matcha has next to no bitterness, featuring an exquisitely concentrated sweetness and umami

“We want this to be a place where people can experience the joy of genuine organic Uji matcha and get closer in touch with Japan’s tea traditions,” says Hatakeyama. Anyone who tastes the real organic matcha of Uji is sure to be captivated just as Kimura was. So pay Kane7 a visit, and enjoy for yourself this unique five-senses matcha experience crafted by two true visionaries working with the best these traditions have to offer.

Kimura and Hatakeyama work tirelessly to connect Uji’s organic matcha to the world