Bikouen Matcha Ikujyaku 憶昔 – koicha in a 20g metal box

Description

ORIGIN & HARVEST TIME

Japan, Kyoto, Uji 2021

CHARACTER

Ikujyaku is the name of the small tea house built in the main temple of the Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist sect, in the Nishi Honganji temple complex, Hiunkaku pagoda. The Bikouen Tea House’s second-ranked tea can be made into a thick, dense-tasting koicha, but it is also very substantial as usucha. After each sip, it’s worth waiting for the beautiful aftertaste to build. While the Tekisui is an elegant matcha that is impossibly soft and creamy, the Ikujyaku brings a more refined, spicy flavour, a serious, authoritative tea. Before trying Bikouen koicha, it is worth starting with Eiho. To make Koicha, we use 3 chashaku teas and 50-70ml of water at 80-85 degrees. The tea is slowly stirred with a little water, after the tea has been blended well. A little more hot water can be added. The koicha, without the foaminess of usucha, will be a thick, crusty tea. This brand and quality is unique in the European market!

The Bikouen Tea House was founded in Kyoto in 1872. They are the official matcha suppliers to the Nishi Honganji and Higashi Honganji temples in Kyoto, and now also to the Flying Bird Teahouse in Budapest. The Yabunouchi tea school is also associated with their teas, which is the oldest surviving tea school and one of the four major chanoyu schools in Kyoto. The Kyoto matcha specialist tea house produces teas that are outstandingly finely ground, even among premium teas. This guarantees an above-average, silky, creamy effect, with a livelier, more full-bodied flavour. The finished tea is not only frothy on the surface. The whole tea has a creamy, velvety texture, which is one of the most defining experiences of a Bikouen Matcha. It is easy to prepare, easy to froth, and retains its character for a relatively long time after opening if kept in the refrigerator.

Bikouen carefully controls the tea from the planting to the processing. The tea plants are covered 3 weeks before picking, the leaves grow more slowly and stretch towards the light.
Harvested after three weeks of shade, the tea is thoroughly sorted after steaming and drying, and ground into powder by a mill. The powdery fine glossy green tea mixed with a little water is the most intense green tea experience imaginable.

DOSAGE & BREWING GUIDELINE

To prepare it use two-three scoops – chashaku – of about 2-3g of tea,  whisk in a large teacup (chawan), with the bamboo stirrer (chasen) until frothy and completely mixed. The final result must be creamy and frothy, with a thick layer of jade foam on top! Water should be 80-85 °C, 50-100 ml. To make Koicha, we use 3 chashaku teas and 50-70ml of water at 80-85 degrees. The tea is slowly stirred with a little water, after the tea has been blended well. A little more hot water can be added.