Icha tea is a Toronto matcha brand offering ceremonial-grade powder sourced exclusively from first-flush ichibancha leaves. Its matcha comes from four terroir-driven regions—Uji, Nishio, Kagoshima, and Shizuoka—and is traditionally stone-ground to preserve vibrant colour and umami.
Plants are shaded weeks before harvest using the Tana system to boost chlorophyll and amino acids; only the youngest hand-picked leaves are processed. The brand maintains direct partnerships with producers in Uji and Nishio, and its farms avoid pesticides and synthetic fertilisers.
Matcha Suiu (翠雨) is a ceremonial matcha from Uji, Kyoto, sold in a 50g tin by ICHA TEA. It is made from a blend of two cultivars, Yabukita and Okumidori, and carries a sweet, mellow aroma with a deep, refined umami. The name translates as “emerald rain,” a reference to the tea’s smooth, velvety texture and refreshing character.
Rather than resting on a single cultivar, Suiu combines Yabukita and Okumidori. The result is described as an elegant cup: deep, refined umami in the body, with sweetness and depth carried through by the aroma. If you tend to look for savory weight in a bowl of matcha rather than sharp grassiness, this profile is the reason to look at Suiu closely. The texture is smooth and velvety, which matters as much as taste once the powder is whisked and the foam settles.
Uji, in Kyoto, sits at the center of Japanese tea culture, and Suiu is grown there. The misty climate and fertile soil of the region encourage slow-growing tea leaves, and that slower growth is what brings out the natural sweetness and depth in the finished powder. Provenance here is specific rather than vague: a named region, a named pair of cultivars, and a named tea, all identified on the tin.
Both uses are intended. Suiu is suited to usucha, the thin whisked style served straight, where the umami and the velvety texture come through with nothing to mask them. It also holds up in a matcha latte, where a sweet, mellow aroma and a full savory base keep the tea present alongside milk. Koicha, the thick preparation, is not among the stated uses, so treat straight-whisked bowls and milk drinks as the two paths this tin is built for.
A 50g tin is a practical amount for regular drinking: enough for weeks of daily bowls at typical usucha doses, without committing to a bulk bag that will sit open for months. Buyers wanting a single-cultivar or thick-style koicha matcha should look elsewhere, since Suiu is a cultivar blend positioned for thin tea and lattes. Check current listing details with ICHA TEA before ordering.
Suiu comes from Uji, Kyoto (宇治, 京都), a region described as the heart of Japanese tea culture. The misty climate and fertile soil there suit slow-growing tea leaves, which the source connects to the natural sweetness and depth in the cup.
Suiu is a blend of two Japanese cultivars, Yabukita and Okumidori.
Suiu has an elegant flavor with deep, refined umami and a sweet, mellow aroma. The texture is described as smooth and velvety, with a refreshing quality that the name reflects.
Suiu (翠雨) means "emerald rain." The name points to the tea's smooth, velvety texture and refreshing vibrancy, likened to rain falling on green leaves.
Suiu suits usucha, the thin whisked style of matcha, and it also works in a matcha latte.
It is sold as 50g in a tin.
Matcha Suiu is offered by ICHA TEA, a tea shop based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.