The first matcha green tea powder I tried was over a decade ago. A bamboo bowl and whisk caught my attention at a gift shop. Entranced by the wabi-sabi beauty of the tea tools, I was drawn into the world of matcha tea. Around this time, matcha was not offered at most cafes, or used as content for millions of tik-tok posts.  I bought green tea powder at specialty shops, or the odd health food store. The matcha powder I used for years was pretty bitter and undrinkable without loads of milk and sweetener. I still loved the process, and was fascinated with its traditions and the calming buzz it gave me.  Matcha green tea started to grow in popularity, making it even more confusing to differentiate the advertising of it. I continued to order and explore more brands over the years, still confused why some matcha was claiming to be “ceremonial” but still tasted bitter and off. 

I began to research and connect with farms in Japan, learning about the different types of cultivators, regions, organic vs non- organic farming, single origin vs blends, and the lengthy list of all the ways green tea powder can be produced. I grew even more enchanted with matcha tea, and wanted to share with my community how good premium organic matcha tasted. Dozens of shipments later, I continued to sample from farms that aligned with the values I wanted to instill in Aikenka. Two really stood out, and remain my favorite matcha tea I have ever tasted since I spotted those cute bamboo tools over ten years ago.  We stand behind the quality and taste of all of our teas, and can’t wait to continue to source and share more types of matcha with the community. 

~Jamie, Founder