Ryuouen Matcha

Ryuouen is a Kyoto tea shop founded in 1875, a few streets from the city hall in Nakagyo ward. It buys tencha from Uji growers and grinds it on stone mills at the back of the shop, roughly 40 grams an hour, so the lineup stays small and most of it sells over the counter. Its matcha is approved by the Urasenke, Omotesenke, and Mushakoji-senke tea schools.