Asahi Cultivar Matcha

Asahi is a rare, slow-growing cultivar used for top-grade Uji ceremonial matcha. Low-yield, demanding to grow, and reserved for the highest grades.

Asahi is a native Uji variety, selected from local seedlings before the modern cultivar registration system existed. The plant is delicate, sensitive to cold, and produces less leaf per acre than commercial cultivars like Yabukita. That is why almost all Asahi production stays inside Uji and goes directly to top-tier matcha.

On the cup, Asahi shows refined, layered umami with a noticeably long finish and a softness that distinguishes it from the more direct Samidori. Many of the limited-edition top-grade matchas from Marukyu Koyamaen and Kanbayashi Shunsho feature Asahi as a single cultivar or in small blend percentages.

For drinkers who have already tasted Samidori and Okumidori and want to understand what people mean by "the highest grade Uji matcha," Asahi is the next step.