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Matcha produced by Blue Bottle Coffee
Blue Bottle Coffee Craft Matcha
Blue Bottle Coffee offers Craft Matcha, a ceremonial-grade matcha sourced directly from Uji, Kyoto – the birthplace of Japanese tea culture. This premium matcha is produced in partnership with Rishouen Teahouse, a traditional tea producer with five generations of expertise dating back to 1947.
Product Specifications
- Grade: Ceremonial quality, suitable for chanoyu (traditional Japanese tea ceremony)
- Processing: Stone-milled from shade-grown tencha leaves
- Harvest: First flush (ichibancha) from late April to mid-May
- Flavor Profile: Verdant, smooth, and vibrant with intricate earthy taste and enhanced umami content
Traditional Production Methods
The matcha undergoes meticulous traditional processing that preserves its authentic character. The tencha leaves are shade-grown using the Tana Oishitaen method, where plants are covered with vinyl tarps supported by aluminum poles approximately 2 meters high. This precise shading process, conducted 3-4 weeks before harvest, increases chlorophyll and L-theanine levels, resulting in the signature vibrant green color and sweet, umami-rich flavor profile.
After careful hand-selection of only the youngest, most tender leaves, the tencha is immediately steamed to halt oxidation, then dried into delicate flakes. The final transformation occurs through ancient stone-milling techniques that grind the leaves slowly and evenly, preventing heat buildup that could compromise the matcha’s delicate flavor and ensuring an incredibly fine, smooth texture.
Cafe Offerings
Blue Bottle serves their Craft Matcha in various preparations at their 78+ cafe locations across the United States, including seasonal offerings like Lavender Yuzu Matcha Latte and traditional Matcha Latte preparations.
History of Blue Bottle Coffee
From Oakland Garage to Global Coffee Empire
Blue Bottle Coffee began in the early 2000s when James Freeman, a clarinetist with an obsession for fresh coffee, started roasting beans in his Oakland, California apartment. Inspired by 17th-century Vienna’s small-batch roasting traditions and a coffee house named The Blue Bottle,” Freeman committed to delivering truly fresh coffee within a revolutionary 48 hours of roasting.
Freeman’s initial operation was modest yet precise – roasting just six pounds of beans at a time and delivering them by bicycle throughout Oakland. This unwavering commitment to freshness and quality quickly cultivated a devoted following, transforming his personal obsession into a burgeoning business that would help define the third-wave coffee movement.
Expansion and Corporate Evolution
The company opened its first brick-and-mortar cafe in 2005, cementing its place in the specialty coffee landscape with a laser focus on single-origin beans and obsessive brewing methods. This dedication fueled rapid expansion throughout the Bay Area and eventually across the United States and Asia.
A pivotal moment came in 2017 when Nestlé, the Swiss food giant, acquired a 68% stake in Blue Bottle for a reported $425 million. While some coffee purists questioned the acquisition, the deal enabled Blue Bottle to scale operations and reach wider audiences while maintaining its core quality standards.
Partnership with Japanese Tea Masters
Blue Bottle’s venture into matcha represents a reverent collaboration with Rishouen, a traditional teahouse based in Uji, Kyoto – the birthplace of Japanese tea. Founded in 1947 by Giichirō Kagata, Rishouen has cultivated tea for five generations and is now led by Koji Kagata, a second-generation tea master whose knowledge traces back to his great-great-grandfather, a tea farmer in Uji.
The partnership ensures Blue Bottle’s Craft Matcha meets the standards for chanoyu (traditional Japanese tea ceremony), utilizing tencha leaves from Uji’s finest fields. Rishouen employs the Tana Oishitaen production method, using precise shading techniques with vinyl covers supported by aluminum poles to control sunlight exposure and maximize the leaves’ umami content.
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