Matcha Cultivar

When d:matcha embarked on the journey of becoming tea farmers over a decade ago, the most striking discovery was the sheer diversity of tea cultivars—and how fascinating their differences could be.

Even though most of our founding members had studied agriculture, we had little awareness of this diversity. This was because tea in Japan is typically sold under blend names, and very few producers highlight cultivar as the key point of differentiation. For most farmers, cultivar choice was primarily a matter of agronomy—timing harvests or managing yields—rather than creating distinct flavor expressions.

From the beginning, d:matcha emphasized showcasing teas by cultivar. Inspired by our French intern Lucy—who later became the owner of d:matcha La Rochelle—we began using the term “Cultivar”, a word easily understood in English and French. Our goal is to invite customers into a deeper world of Japanese tea: to experience differences not only between cultivars, but also between regions, terroirs, and even individual farmers.

All tea plants belong to Camellia sinensis, which is generally divided into China-type and India-type lineages. Within Japan, however, many unique cultivars with distinct qualities have been developed. Kyoto, in particular, is home to a large number of cultivars that are essentially found only in this region—often referred to as the Kyoto cultivars.

Below you will find our main cultivars, divided into Kyoto and other varieties. Many are grown directly in our Organic JAS Certified fields in Wazuka, Kyoto, and we are proud to share their individual character with you.