Japanese Slow Ritual
Asahina · Fujieda · Shizuoka, Japan
The first cup you reach for.
Grown in Shizuoka's Fujieda and crafted by generations of tea masters, each cup is a small ritual of refinement.
700+
Years of tea culture in Asahina
20
Days shaded under hand-woven straw komo
1
Harvest a year — May first flush only
100%
Single origin, stone-milled in Shizuoka
Philosophy
Not consumption. A quiet ritual — from Asahina.
Each morning, fog rises through the hills before sunlight reaches the tea fields. For seven hundred years, growers in Asahina have shaped their days around that mist — weaving straw into komo mats, shading their plants for twenty days, harvesting only once each May.
ICHI exists within that continuity. We do not blend regions or rush the stone mill. One land, one harvest, one standard — matcha that carries a terroir no other brand can claim, because it grows nowhere else.
The komo method
Hand-woven straw shading for twenty days — a practice abandoned by industrial production, preserved in Asahina.
One harvest a year
May first flush only. What the season offers is what we release — nothing more.
Asahina, entirely
Single origin without blending. The hills, the mist, and the growers speak for themselves.
Regional Collection
Asahina, Fujieda
One of Japan's three great gyokuro regions. Over 700 years of tea culture in the mist-covered hills of Shizuoka.
Discover AsahinaThe Source
Before you choose a work
Every tin begins long before the mill. We believe you should understand the land, the hands, and the craft behind what you drink — before you choose which work to bring home.
01
The Tea Fields
Morning fog rises through the Asahina hills, diffusing light and raising humidity to levels that cannot be engineered. This is where every leaf begins — in soil shaped by seven centuries of cultivation.
02
The Growers
Tea farmers who refuse to trade tradition for efficiency. They weave komo by hand, shade for twenty days, and harvest only in May. ICHI shares not only their leaves, but their philosophy and pride.
03
The Craft
First-flush leaves, stone-milled in small batches in Shizuoka. No industrial acceleration. Each work is milled slowly, so the umami and aroma of Asahina remain intact in every cup.
The Works
A small collection, by design.
We do not offer a catalog. We offer a curated selection of works — each one a complete expression of Asahina terroir.
We release only a small number of products each season. Every work in this collection comes from a single May harvest, is stone-milled in limited batches, and is offered until it is gone.
The Ritual
Your morning reset
01
Pause
Before the noise begins, create a moment of stillness.
02
Prepare
Warm your bowl. Sift the matcha. Let the aroma rise.
03
Whisk
Slow, deliberate strokes until a fine foam forms.
04
Savor
One cup. Full presence. The day begins here.
History
Seven centuries of tea
Since the Muromachi period (1336–1573), Asahina in Fujieda City has been one of Japan's most revered tea regions — a sacred landscape where mountain, water, humidity, and light converge to shape every leaf.
Fujieda itself has been a crossroads of Japanese culture for over a millennium. From ancient settlements along the Seto and Oi rivers to its role as a post town on the Tokaido highway during the Edo period, this land has long connected people, commerce, and craft.
Read the full storyFor Hotels & Restaurants
A tea program for exceptional venues.
ICHI partners with a select number of hotels, restaurants, and cafés that share our standard for provenance and craft. Seasonal allocations, brewing specifications, and staff training — direct from the source.
Explore partnerships