Our Matcha
What Makes Our Shizuoka Matcha Different
A century of organic farming in Kakegawa, a distinctive deep-steamed style, and a flavor profile built for how we drink matcha.
We proudly source our matcha from Matsushita Tea Garden, which has been leading organic tea farming in Kakegawa, Shizuoka for a century. Passed down through generations of family expertise, the current tea-makers took great measures to enhance the quality and have been pesticide-free for over 30 years.
How our deep-steamed matcha is made
Kakegawa is especially well known for fukamushi sencha, or deep-steamed sencha. In this style, the tea leaves are steamed for longer than standard sencha, creating a vivid green color and making our signature cup brighter, smoother, and less bitter.
Inside our organic matcha farm in Kakegawa
Matsushita Tea Garden is larger than many Japanese tea farms, with about 19 hectares under cultivation. That scale allows the farm to invest in its own production methods, modern facilities, and a direct relationship with Vale. It also attracts passionate tea makers from around Japan who want to work in a place with a serious commitment to organic farming and quality.
Chagusaba: the organic soil method behind our tea
One of the most important parts of the farm's approach is soil. The farm uses a traditional Shizuoka method called Chagusaba, where grasses from around the tea fields are cut, dried, and laid around the tea bushes as natural mulch. Over time, this returns organic matter to the soil and supports the long-term health of the plants.
Shizuoka matcha vs Uji matcha
The flavor profile is slightly different from what people often associate with Uji matcha. While Uji is known for deep, concentrated umami, our Shizuoka-produced matcha can be more vibrant, fresh, and mouth-coating, with a clean finish that works especially well in cold preparations (just how we recommend it!). Instead of relying on an intense, one-note savory punch, our organic tea tends to have more structure: a layered body, refreshing aftertaste, and a sense of place.
Natural umami over synthetic intensity
This matters because "good tasting" and "high quality" are not always the same thing. Heavy use of synthetic nitrogen can create a bright green tea with an intense, almost MSG-like savory flavor, but that flavor can feel cloying or artificial. Our preference is for matcha with depth, balance, and a more natural expression of the plant and soil.
Mature Yabukita: the cultivar behind our matcha
Most of the tea plants currently used are Yabukita, a classic Japanese cultivar, and many are in the middle of their productive life. Very young plants can be clean and bright but may lack complexity. Older plants can be interesting, but age alone does not guarantee better tea. The sweet spot is often mature, well-managed plants with enough age to develop character while still producing clean, vibrant leaves.
Where our matcha comes from: Kakegawa, Shizuoka
The broader story is that great matcha does not only come from the most famous names. Kakegawa and Shizuoka have generations of tea-growing knowledge, strong agricultural pride, and a distinctive style of their own. For Vale, that means a matcha with organic farming behind it, real regional character, and a flavor profile that is bright, refreshing, and deeply drinkable.
Taste the difference
Our ceremonial matcha comes from this farm. Smooth, never bitter, and made for cold preparation.