About

 

Nippon Cha USA Team:

 

At Nippon Cha, our mission is to deliver authentic, ceremonial-grade matcha and traditional Japanese teas to the world without compromising on quality. In the United States, our dedicated team of passionate tea enthusiasts and experts ensures that the traditions and standards set by Nippon Cha are upheld in every aspect of the business. With their expertise and commitment to quality, the Nippon Cha USA team is dedicated to delivering an authentic and premium tea experience to tea lovers across the country.

About Us:

With a history spanning over 1200 years, Japan has developed its own unique tea culture after learning from China. However, there has been a lack of defined standards for the highest quality Japanese tea.

The story of Nippon Cha begins with the Mizoguchi family, tea cultivators in Kumamoto prefecture for more than 400 years. The family adopted the name Ujien Seicha, paying tribute to the source of their tea plants in Uji, Kyoto, and trademarked the name Nippon Cha, meaning "Japanese Tea."

Led by CEO Yoshiki Mizoguchi, an esteemed tea master, Nippon Cha continues the family's legacy of cultivating superb quality tea. Our lineage traces back to Zen Monk Eisai, who introduced Japan to the tea preparation style of tencha, which produces powdered matcha. Eisai's propagation of tea in Uji, Kyoto laid the foundation for Japanese tea cultivation.

In the United States, the Nippon Cha USA team is composed of passionate tea enthusiasts and experts who share a deep appreciation for Japanese tea. With their expertise and commitment to quality, they ensure that the traditions and standards set by Nippon Cha are upheld in every aspect of the business. From sourcing the finest teas to providing exceptional customer service, the Nippon Cha USA team is dedicated to delivering an authentic and premium tea experience to tea lovers across the country.

Recognizing the need for defined standards in the global market, Nippon Cha trademarked the name in 2010 to protect the authenticity and quality of Japanese tea. Our teas bear the Nippon Cha trademark, adhering to strict Japanese standards and ensuring a truly premium experience.

Our Difference:

At Nippon Cha, we have a mission to deliver authentic, ceremonial-grade matcha and traditional Japanese teas to the world without compromising on quality. Our teas are primarily single origin, clearly indicating their production history, growing region, farms, and growers. We prioritize transparency, clear genealogy, and production history.

From selecting the finest leaves to meticulous growing, shading, and steaming methods, we meticulously oversee every step of production. Our entire team, from farmers to the CEO, personally regulates and reviews each ingredient, ensuring the highest level of authenticity and quality in every cup of Nippon Cha tea.

As the popularity of matcha has surged worldwide, many companies make claims about selling ceremonial grade matcha or premium quality Japanese tea. At Nippon Cha, we focus on educating customers and providing the necessary transparency and information to make informed choices.

Nippon Cha has established strict criteria and definitions for ceremonial grade matcha and our teas to set a defined standard for the highest quality Japanese tea. Teas bearing the Nippon Cha trademark are certified and held to stringent quality standards. We stand at the pinnacle of quality, transparency, and authenticity in the world of Japanese tea.

DEFINITION OF NIPPON CHA TEA

 

  • 1. The tea leaves must be grown in Japan and the tea produced for the purpose of drinking as a beverage only. 
  •  2. Nippon Cha tea must be made from leaves from the first harvest of the season. 
  •  The leaves must be grown in Japan and the growing region and growers must be able to be specified. 
  • The tea leaves must have a clear production history (any fertilizer(s) and/or pesticide(s) used in the cultivation process must be able to be specified). 
  • 3. Nippon Cha tea must meet the Japanese Food Standards.Organic Nippon Cha tea must comply with the Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS) 
  • 4. In principle, the blending of teas from different production regions to make ‘Nippon Cha’ is not permitted. Therefore, Nippon Cha tea from Kagoshima, Kyoto, Mie, Shizuoka, Setouchi, Fukuoka and Hiroshima is all 100% single-origin tea.If Nippon Cha tea is blended, the different origins and the ratio of each different origin tea is able to be specified. 
  • 5. All ingredients must be grown in Japan. All ingredients of any blend or powdered tea must meet criteria 1-4 above.Hojicha can be from tea from the second harvest of the year, as determined by the making process characteristic to Hojicha tea. Apart from this, Nippon Cha Hojicha must meet criteria 1,3, and 4 above.

 

DEFINITION OF NIPPON CHA MATCHA

 

  • 1. The tea leaves must be grown in Japan and the tea produced for the purpose of drinking as a beverage only. 
  •  2. Nippon Cha tea must be made from leaves from the first harvest of the season. 
  •  The leaves must be grown in Japan and the growing region and growers must be able to be specified. 
  • The tea leaves must have a clear production history (any fertilizer(s) and/or pesticide(s) used in the cultivation process must be able to be specified). 
  • 3. Nippon Cha tea must meet the Japanese Food Standards.Organic Nippon Cha tea must comply with the Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS) 
  • 4. In principle, the blending of teas from different production regions to make ‘Nippon Cha’ is not permitted. Therefore, Nippon Cha tea from Kagoshima, Kyoto, Mie, Shizuoka, Setouchi, Fukuoka and Hiroshima is all 100% single-origin tea.If Nippon Cha tea is blended, the different origins and the ratio of each different origin tea is able to be specified. 
  • 5. All ingredients must be grown in Japan. All ingredients of any blend or powdered tea must meet criteria 1-4 above.Hojicha can be from tea from the second harvest of the year, as determined by the making process characteristic to Hojicha tea. Apart from this, Nippon Cha Hojicha must meet criteria 1,3, and 4 above.

 

 

Nippon Cha has created the above requirements to ensure the highest quality tea from carefully selected leaves.