Okumidori Matcha: The Cultivar Behind Our Masters Reserve

Most people who try our signature matcha want to know what makes it different from the master's reserve. It is not the grade, both are first flush ceremonial. It is not the care that goes into sourcing, that is the same too. The difference starts with the cultivar, and once you understand what Okumidori is, the rest of the story makes sense.

The Okumidori Cultivar

Okumidori is a cultivar developed in the 1970s from a cross between Yabukita and a native Shizuoka variety. The name translates loosely as "deep green," which tells you something about what the plant produces. It was registered in 1974 and is grown across several of Japan's tea regions, but it performs best in cooler, higher-altitude environments where the slow growth of the leaf has time to develop complexity.

Unlike Yabukita, which dominates Japan's tea fields because of its reliability and yield, Okumidori is a more demanding cultivar to grow. It ripens later in the season, typically around eight days after Yabukita, which means a longer wait and more precise timing around harvest. That additional time on the plant, in the right conditions, produces a leaf with more depth.

What it produces in the cup

The flavour profile of Okumidori is distinct from Yabukita. Where Yabukita is clean, sweet and direct, Okumidori is deeper, nuttier and more layered. The umami is more pronounced, the finish longer, and there is a richness to the body that sits differently in the cup. It is not sweeter or more bitter. It is more complex.

The colour is also notably vivid. Okumidori responds well to shade-growing and accumulates chlorophyll at a high rate when shaded properly. When you open a tin of our Masters Reserve, the green is striking. That is not a processing effect. It is what the cultivar produces when it is grown correctly in the right environment.

Why Wazuka?

Our masters reserve comes from Wazuka, a small town just south of Uji in Kyoto Prefecture. The terrain there is steep and hilly, the altitude higher than the Uji valley floor, and the temperature variation between day and night significant. These are exactly the conditions that Okumidori rewards. The slow accumulation of L-theanine and the intensity of chlorophyll production are both tied to how much stress the plant experiences during growing. Wazuka's climate provides that naturally.

It is also a region with a long history of careful, small-scale cultivation. Less volume, more attention per crop. That shows up in the consistency of the leaf from season to season.

How it sits alongside the Signature

Yabukita is the cultivar we use at our Sea Point bar every day. Its clarity and consistency make it ideal for daily drinking and for the precision required behind a busy counter. It is what we whisk to order for every customer, every time. Balanced, reliable, and exactly what ceremonial grade matcha should be at its best.

The masters reserve is something different. Okumidori from Wazuka produces a more complex, layered cup. It is the one you open when you are making matcha at home and you want to sit with it for a moment. Not better in a way that replaces the Signature, but more considered. A step further into what the plant is capable of when you slow everything down.

Both are first flush, both are shade-grown, both are ceremonial grade. The difference is in what each cultivar expresses and what you are in the mood for.

Why cultivar specificity matters

Most matcha on the market does not tell you what cultivar you are drinking. The grade gets all the attention, the origin occasionally, the cultivar almost never. But cultivar is one of the most significant factors in what ends up in the cup. It determines how the plant responds to shade, when it is harvested, and what compounds it accumulates. Two matcha products can share the same grade label and the same region and still taste meaningfully different because of what plant they came from.

Knowing the cultivar is knowing the product. Okumidori from Wazuka, first flush, shade-grown. That is specific enough to verify and specific enough to stand behind.

Our masters reserve is available to purchase in-store at our Sea Point bar and online, delivered nationwide across South Africa.