Okumidori Matcha: The Cultivar Explained

On a package, “Okumidori matcha” can sound like a promise about taste. It first names the tea-plant variety used. Okumidori is a Japanese cultivar harvested late in the season; the region, the preparation of tencha, the shaded leaf used for matcha, and the milling then describe this particular powder, not every tea with the same name.

We like reading those details together before comparing two powders. The matcha cultivar gives you a clue to the plant, without telling the whole story of how its leaves were handled.

Where does the Okumidori cultivar come from?

The Okumidori cultivar came from crossing Yabukita with a tea line from Shizuoka. In the trials cited by its breeder, it was harvested after Yabukita. That relative timing describes cultivation, not the picking day in every garden. Climate and how a plantation is managed change the calendar.

The variety can produce different green teas, including tencha, the shaded and dried leaf destined for matcha. To become matcha, this leaf is grown in shade, steamed, dried without rolling and then milled. “Okumidori” on a label therefore doesn't identify the finished tea by itself.

We look for the word tencha or a description of the process before forming a picture of the powder. If it's missing, that doesn't condemn the tea. It simply leaves an important question unanswered.

What does Okumidori matcha taste like?

There isn't one Okumidori cup. Shading, harvest, finishing and freshness all change what you perceive. A varietal description from tea trials isn't a tasting note for every matcha.

Prepare two Okumidori powders with the same amounts of powder and water, without milk. Vegetal note, bitterness, texture: which do you actually prefer? We'd trust that comparison more than sweetness promised by the cultivar name alone. Change the preparation and your impression may change too.

Okumidori from Kagoshima, Uji or Yame: what does the region tell you?

In phrases such as “Kagoshima Okumidori matcha,” “Uji Okumidori matcha” and “Yame Okumidori matcha,” the place indicates a claimed origin and Okumidori the variety. The same cultivar can grow in several regions.

On the package you're considering, distinguish where the leaves grew, where they were milled and the cultivar name. We prefer an origin written for that batch to an assumed regional flavor profile. Even two packages carrying the same region and variety don't promise the same texture or taste.

How does Okumidori compare with other cultivars?

In the reference trials, Okumidori was harvested later than Yabukita. Saemidori was an early cultivar there. That calendar doesn't rank the quality of the cups.

Samidori, a local Uji selection, is linked to tencha and is another variety. To choose between two powders, we return to the stated processing and the taste of the actual batch.