Matcha Narino

Beyond the time of 600 years.

As Ashikaga Shogunate acknowledged the good quality of Uji Tea in the Muromachi Period (1338–1573), he designated seven tea gardens in Uji which were later called Uji Shichimeien (meaning “seven distinguished tea gardens of Uji”). Most of these gardens disappeared with the urbanization and now only “Okunoyama” tea garden (owned by Horii Shichimeien) remains.

This garden used to grow more than 1500 indigenous tea plants that can be considered as the roots of Uji Tea. In 1981, however, as they did a replanting of the whole garden, they selected the tea plants that are best suited for Uji Tea to be passed down to the next generation. 53 kinds were selected first and after years of testing and research on the quality (the flavor, the fragrance, and the color of tea leaves and made tea) and the strength and the yield, they were narrowed down to 2 kinds in 1994. They then had 6 years of experimentation period in cultivation until they were sure they had the finest Uji Tea they can be proud of in the future. They applied for registration in the Registry of Plant Varieties in 2000 and Uji Tea was registered in November of 2002.

20 years after the replanting in 1981, they finally came up with the 2 kinds of tea that are truly suited for tencha. One of them was named “Narino.” Narino received the Minister’s Award from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2010. It means Narino was recognized as the number one matcha in Japan for its rich fragrance and tasty flavor without bitterness. It is Horii Shichimeien’s original, non-blended, single-breed matcha, which is truly rare in the market. Please give it a try and I’m sure you will enjoy it!


Its exquisite fragrance instantly captivates, exuding fantastic freshness and a special intangible beauty and boasts a unique, sweet, creamy flavour. A lighter and far sweeter tea than Mumon, its innate beauty and brilliant flavour will send your senses soaring.

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