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Grades & quality
"Ceremonial" means different things at every supplier. Here is exactly what it means at ours, shown under the same light.
Grade comparison · one white sheet, one exposure
Ceremonial
See Ceremonial →
Drink it straight.
1st harvest, shaded, hand-sorted tencha. Usucha, koicha, and the latte you put your name on.
Harvest
1st only
Milling
Micromill
Products
Café
See Café →
Built for the milk steamer.
Blends and 2nd-harvest lots chosen for colour hold and low bitterness at 2 g per cup. The volume grade.
Harvest
Blend / 2nd
Milling
Micromill
Products
Culinary
See Culinary →
Baking, ice cream, sauces.
Value lots with strong flavour that survives sugar, butter and heat. Also the high-volume latte pour.
Harvest
Blend / 2nd
Milling
Micromill
Products
How we check every lot
Four tests, same room, same cup.
01
Colour
Dry powder photographed on the same sheet, same light, next to the previous lot.
02
Particle size
Finger smear and sieve, checked against the D50 on the lot's spec sheet.
03
Cup
Usucha at 75 °C and a 2 g latte. Scored for umami, bitterness, aroma.
04
Paper
Residue test, organic certificate and harvest date filed with the lot number.
Shaded rows · 3 weeks before harvestCertificates on fileHeld by the mills that produce our matcha: JAS Organic, USDA NOP, Halal, Kosher and FDA facility registration, plus a residue report per lot. Which documents apply depends on the product and the mill; ask before you buy and we confirm what ships with your lot.What each certificate covers →