Wasanbon — Japan’s Artisanal Sugar

Wasanbon sugar is a premium traditional Japanese sugar, produced only in limited regions of Japan, primarily Kagawa (Sanuki) and Tokushima (Awa). It is made from chikutō, a slender heirloom variety of sugarcane, and refined through a painstaking, entirely hand-crafted process carried out by skilled artisans.

Unlike ordinary white sugar, wasanbon is a molasses-retaining sugar, leaving just a trace of natural sweetness behind. This gives it a gentle, rounded flavor and an exceptionally delicate texture that dissolves smoothly on the palate. In Japan, it has long been used in refined confections such as rakugan and other high-end wagashi. Even when added to beverages, it never overpowers, instead enhancing the natural aroma and flavor of the ingredients. When used in coffee or tea, its soft sweetness unfolds quietly and elegantly.

Wasanbon is the sweetener that most beautifully elevates matcha.
Rather than masking its character, it supports matcha’s aroma, umami, and vibrant color with subtle restraint.
That is why wasanbon pairs so naturally with matcha—whether enjoyed alongside it or gently blended in.

What Makes Matcha Great?

YOHAKU MATCHA is Ceremonial Grade.
But it is not a blend created by gathering what is commonly labeled as “luxury matcha.”

What we define as Ceremonial Grade is simple:

• Region

• Ichibancha

• Shade-grown Tencha

• Stone-milled

Matcha that requires nothing added.
Matcha that is already complete on its own.

Only matcha that meets this standard is what we call Ceremonial Grade.

Defining Quality by Conditions, Not Labels

A cup that carries umami, sweetness, and gentle bitterness in balance
does not happen by chance.

To achieve a truly refined cup,
we identified only the conditions that are absolutely necessary—
and nothing more.

That process led us to the following origin and methods.

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Single Estate Matcha — Uji

From the heartland of matcha

YOHAKU MATCHA comes from a single estate in Uji, Kyoto.

Single estate sourcing is essential because it eliminates variation:

• No fluctuation in harvest timing

• No inconsistency in cultivation methods

• No yearly shifts in flavor profile

This consistency is the minimum requirement
for a cup with quiet clarity.

First Harvest (Ichibancha)

The concentration of winter’s nourishment

During winter, tea plants barely grow.
Instead, they store nutrients in their roots.

When spring arrives, the first leaves to emerge are known as Ichibancha.

These leaves are:

• Fed by nutrients accumulated throughout winter

• The most nutrient-dense leaves of the year

This is why first harvest leaves form the foundation
of the finest matcha.

Why Ichibancha Creates a Calm, Refined Taste?

The sense of calm in matcha is not driven by caffeine.
It is supported by L-theanine.

Ichibancha contains:

• Exceptionally high levels of L-theanine

• Significantly lower levels of catechins (bitterness compounds)

The reason is simple:

Early spring leaves
have not yet been exposed to strong ultraviolet light,
so the plant does not need to produce bitterness as protection.

The result is a flavor that is:

• Smooth

• Naturally sweet

• Gentle on the nervous system

Shade-grown Tencha

Ichibancha + Shade = Matcha at its ideal state

Before harvest, tencha leaves are shade-grown.

Shading the tea plants:

• Suppresses photosynthesis

• Prevents L-theanine from converting into catechins

• Preserves sweetness and umami within the leaf

YOHAKU MATCHA uses only
first harvest, shade-grown tencha—
the optimal condition for matcha.

Stone-milled

Stone mills are not grinding tools

After harvest, stems and veins are carefully removed.
Only the soft leaf flesh of tencha is stone-milled.

A stone mill is not merely a tool to make powder.

It is a mechanism designed to preserve:

• Aroma

• Particle structure

• Temperature

• Rhythm

without breaking them.

Why Stone Milling Matters

1. Minimal Heat

Matcha’s aroma is extremely delicate.

When excessive heat is generated during milling:

• Volatile aromas dissipate

• Raw, grassy notes emerge

• Bitterness intensifies

Stone mills rotate extremely slowly
(approximately 30 rotations per minute), resulting in:

• Minimal friction

• Temperature increases of only a few degrees

This pace exists solely to protect aroma.

2. Uniform, Intact Particles

Mouthfeel in matcha is determined by particle size.

• Stone-milled matcha

  • Particle size: approximately 10–15 μm

  • Rounded particles

  • No sharp edges

  • Smooth on the palate

• High-speed milling (jet or blade mills)

  • Inconsistent particle size

  • Angular particles

  • Noticeable roughness

As a result:

Stone-milled matcha creates a quiet, refined mouthfeel—even when whisked.
This sensation is extremely difficult to replicate by other methods.

Why Modern Machines Cannot Fully Replace Stone Mills?

Advanced jet mills and ball mills can:

• Approximate particle size

• Increase production efficiency

However, they cannot eliminate:

• Heat buildup

• Static electricity

• Fractured particle surfaces

Numbers may look similar on paper,
but the sensory experience is not.

This difference is decisive.

The Resulting Flavor Profile

When all of these conditions are met,
matcha reveals itself not as a single note,
but as a progression.

• A gentle sweetness upon first sip

• Followed by deep, transparent umami

• Finishing with refined bitterness

No element dominates.
The flavor unfolds in layers, then quietly recedes.

"A refined bitterness that enhances the umami, harmonizing with the overall flavor."

This natural gradient of taste
is what defines the finest quality matcha.

Yohaku Matcha — Ritual Set

The Essence of Sen no Rikyū

Who is

Sen no Rikyū（千利休）?

Sen no Rikyū was a 16th-century Japanese tea master
who transformed the act of drinking tea into a complete cultural practice.

Before Rikyū, tea gatherings were often displays of wealth—
ornate rooms, expensive objects, and visual excess.

Rikyū changed this entirely.

He removed what was unnecessary
and focused on what truly mattered:
quietness, intention, and presence.

This approach became known as wabi-cha—
a style of tea that values simplicity, restraint, and imperfection.

For Rikyū, tea was not about impressing others.
It was about how the host and guest shared a single moment,
through careful preparation, humble tools, and mindful gestures.

Every action—
entering the tea room,
boiling water,
whisking matcha,
offering the bowl—
was treated as part of one continuous experience.

Rikyū’s philosophy shaped not only tea culture,
but Japan’s broader sense of beauty,
influencing architecture, ceramics, food, and daily life.

At its core, Rikyū’s teaching was simple:

Do less.
Remove excess.
And allow meaning to emerge.

Rikyū’s Morning Glory

One of the most famous stories about Sen no Rikyū appears in Sawashigetsushū.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi(who unified Japan in the late 16th century) heard that Rikyū’s garden was overflowing with morning glories,
and requested a tea gathering to see them.

But when he arrived, the garden was empty.
Every flower had been removed.

Then Hideyoshi entered the tea room—
and in the alcove, Rikyū had placed a single morning glory.

Not abundance, but selection.
Not “more,” but “the one that matters most.”

In Rikyū’s tea, flowers were never decoration.
They were beauty distilled.

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Why It Matters Today

We live surrounded by more—
more things, more options, more noise.

Rikyū’s morning glory offers a quiet alternative:
remove what distracts,
so what is essential can appear.

Rikyū’s gesture wasn’t about scarcity.
It was about return—
to one moment, one attention, one breath.