If you've been paying attention to the matcha world in the last year, you've probably started hearing a lot more about cultivars: names like Yabukita, Okumidori, or Gokou.

At d:matcha we focus on single-cultivars, and currently offer 13 different single-plant matcha, but one of them is not like the other... It actually is not a cultivar at all! It's Zairai.

Zairai, which means indigenous, refers to tea plants native to the region. As opposed to most of the matcha cultivated nowadays, it is grown directly from seeds rather than cuttings. Most tea bushes grown today are propagated via these cloned cuttings to ensure every plant produces the exact same flavor profile year after year. Cultivars (cultivated varieties) are bred and selected for different desired traits, for instance resistance to certain diseases or climate, or a specific recurrent flavor profile. Zairai, however, cannot be controlled.

Each Zairai seed carries unique genetic variation, meaning that a Zairai tea field is filled with individually unique plants living side-by-side. At d:matcha we have a few Zairai fields, and looking at them, you would notice a patchwork of different colors, leaf size, and growth, indicative of the genetic diversity of these plants.

Zairai are also known for their taproot, which digs deep into the soil and extracts flavor from it, creating a cup of tea with a more earthy, grounded flavor profile. This also means Zairai plants are an epitome of the terroir they are grown in. Wazuka Zairai will be very different from Shizuoka Zairai, which in turn would be completely different from Zairai grown in Kagoshima or any other region. Zairai are thus a living, historic genetic archive of the region.

We've just recently started offering our Zairai matcha, and its flavor profile has this incredible robust depth that holds up effortlessly against milk without losing its character. So, if you're curious to taste what matcha tasted like before modern agricultural standardization took over, our Zairai matcha is live in our global shop!