A Guide to Making Matcha
1. Pour some hot water into the bowl, and gently soak the tip of the whisk in the hot water.
(This warms up the bowl, and softens the prongs of the whisk.)
2. Pour out the hot water from the bowl. Dry the inside of the bowl with a clean dry cloth.
3. Using chasaji, the tea ladle, put one and a half heaping ladles of Matcha（about 2g）into the dry, empty bowl.
4. Cool down hot water to 70-80degrees. Slowly pour the cooled down water into the bowl until it is about 1/3 full(or pour about 70ml of water).
5. Using a quick back and forth stroking motion, whisk the Matcha and hot water until it is smooth and ready to drink.
A Kyoto Tea Garden with Over 350 Years of History
Since 1865, the Okunishi family has been cultivating, manufacturing, and selling tea in Uji, Kyoto. Now led by fifth-generation owner Kazuo Okunishi, they continue a tradition of tea making rooted in generations of knowledge and care. Their farm has preserved and cultivated native tea varieties grown from seed for approximately 350 years and has supplied tea to the Imperial Household, Engaku-ji Temple in Kamakura, and leading restaurants throughout Japan.
Believing that exceptional tea begins with the land, they carefully observe the growth of each season's new leaves, managing cultivation and harvest timing to bring out the best expression of the tea.
A Day in Uji, Kyoto: Meeting Okunishi Ryokuhoen
In Kyoto's Uji region, we visited Okunishi Ryokuhoen — the maker behind the matcha we're proud to serve at CIBI, and a family committed to producing the best quality matcha, generation after generation.We were welcomed by fifth-generation tea master Okunishi-san, whose family has quietly shaped Uji tea tradition since 1865. The moment we stepped into their "Green Room" — dusted with the softest green powder, the air thick with the scent of freshly ground matcha — we were instantly captivated. Inside, stone mills slowly turn tea leaves into matcha, a process so gentle it takes an hour to produce just 20 grams. It's part of why CIBI is honoured to be their only partner outside Japan.
