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Christian Mauerer with the Ichikawa-en team in front of the YAMASEN factory building, Makinohara Plateau, Shizuoka

Ichikawa-en: Deep-Steamed Sencha from Makinohara, Shizuoka

Inside Ichikawa-en, a Shizuoka family tea operation on the Makinohara Plateau. Five tons a day, deep-steamed fukamushi sencha, two generations blending.

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Bright emerald hand-picked tencha tea leaves on a traditional wooden grading tray at a Japanese tea auction in Uji Kyoto, with a weathered tea blender's hands inspecting a single leaf

Kyoto Tencha Auction 2026: Prices Jumped at Opening

Kyoto tencha auction prices jumped at the 2026 opening per Asahi Shimbun. Founder breaks down what it means for ceremonial matcha buyers this year.

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Close-up of bright emerald matcha being whisked in a navy chawan with a bamboo chasen at golden hour, against a thriving first-flush Japanese tencha tea field

Is the Matcha Boom Slowing Down? FY2025 Data Says No

Japan's matcha-led green tea exports hit ¥84.7B in FY2025, up 120% YoY. Is the matcha boom slowing? A founder reads the data, the supply gap, and the risks.

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Aerial split-frame comparison: traditional Japanese tencha field under honzu reed shading in Uji versus an open Chinese green tea field in Anhui — Japan vs China matcha production

Japan vs China Matcha: Why Japan Defines Ceremonial 2026

Japan's green tea exports jumped 42% to 13,125 tonnes in FY2025 (~70% matcha). A founder's guide to Japan vs China matcha, cultivars, and grading.

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Mohei Honda operating his tea harvester through the rows in Shizuoka

Mohei Honda: a fifth-generation tea master in Shizuoka

We visited Mohei Honda's tea farm at the foot of Mount Fuji. The harvest, the steaming, and the slow craft behind sencha, gyokuro, and hojicha.

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Bright neon-green ceremonial matcha being whisked into thin foam in a dark ceramic chawan with bamboo chasen, weathered hands holding the whisk — illustrating the ritual of authentic Japanese ceremonial matcha preparation

What Is Ceremonial Grade Matcha? An Honest Guide

Only 3% of powders sold as "matcha" meet Japan's industry-association criteria. Here's what real ceremonial-grade requires, and how to evaluate it yourself.

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Matcha Health Benefits: 7 Backed by Research (Founder's Guide)

Matcha Health Benefits: 7 Backed by Research (Founder's Guide)

Japan's FY2025 green tea exports hit 13,125t (~70% matcha-led). A founder's evidence-based guide to matcha's real health benefits, sourced from PMC + PubMed.

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An aged vintage paper map of Japan on a wooden tea-house table with three small ceramic dishes of vivid green matcha powder placed at prefecture locations

Japan's Tea Production by Region: 2026 Map + Data

Japan's Tea Production by Region: A 2026 Map and Data Guide By Christian Mauerer, Founder of One with Tea · Published May 7, 2026 For the first time since statistical surveys began in 1991, Kagoshima Prefecture has overtaken Shizuoka in...

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A traditional Japanese tea bowl with vivid jade-green ceremonial matcha just whisked, foam still settling, beside a bamboo whisk on a linen cloth, in a quiet shoji-screened tea house

Matcha for Meditation Practice: Tea as Ritual

Matcha for Meditation Practice: A Founder's Take on Tea as Ritual By Christian Mauerer, Founder of One with Tea · Published May 7, 2026 The meditative quality of matcha is not in the cup. It is in the ritual that...

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