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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.
Marukyu Koyamaen Isuzu, also known as Fifty Bells, is an entry level grade matcha from Marukyu Koyamaen in Japan. It sits after Aoarashi in the Marukyu Koyamaen portfolio line-up and tastes bolder, with a far more decisive character and flavours steeped in sharp, tart amino acids. That tartness is the point of difference here, and it responds strongly to how the tea is whisked.
How does Isuzu differ from Marukyu Koyamaen Aoarashi?
Aoarashi comes before Isuzu in the line-up, and Isuzu is the bolder of the two. Where a gentler entry level matcha stays reserved, Isuzu pushes forward with sharper, tarter flavour and a more assertive overall profile. Drinkers who found other entry level bowls too quiet often prefer this kind of decisive character, while anyone who dislikes tartness in a bowl of matcha should treat that trait as the main consideration before buying.
What water temperature tames Isuzu’s tartness?
Preparing Isuzu with lower temperature water at 70 °C significantly takes the edge off the tartness and greatly softens the flavour. That makes it a practical starting point for a first bowl, especially for anyone still calibrating their taste for sharper matcha. Whisked with hotter water, or with less hot water, Isuzu still delivers highly distinctive flavours, so it rewards a little experimenting across a range of temperatures rather than one fixed method. Keeping notes on temperature from bowl to bowl is the quickest way to find the version of Isuzu you like best.
Which Isuzu tin and bag formats are available right now?
Isuzu is packed in several formats, each with its own purchase limit, and most are currently unavailable:
- 40 g tin, limit three per person: sold out
- 100 g tin, limit two per person: sold out
- 100 g bag, limit two per person: sold out
- 1 kg bag, one item per customer: available
The smaller tins suit anyone wanting to sample the profile before committing, but with the 40 g and 100 g tins and the 100 g bag all sold out, the 1 kg bag is the only format that can be ordered at the moment. That volume works best for cafés, shared households, or steady daily drinkers who will get through a large quantity while it is fresh. Check the listing for the current status of the smaller sizes before ordering.
Isuzu is one of the entry level grade matcha from Marukyu Koyamaen in Japan. The name is also rendered as Fifty Bells.
Isuzu is bolder than Aoarashi, which sits before it in the Marukyu Koyamaen line-up, and it has a far more decisive character.
The flavor is steeped in sharp, tart amino acids, giving it a decisive rather than gentle profile.
Try preparing it with water at 70 °C. Lower temperature water takes a significant amount of the edge off the tartness and greatly softens the flavor. Prepared with hotter or less hot water, it still gives a tea with highly distinctive flavors.
Four options are listed: a 40 g tin, a 100 g tin, a 100 g bag, and a 1 kg bag. Only the 1 kg bag is currently available; the 40 g tin, 100 g tin, and 100 g bag are sold out.
Yes. Each format carries its own limit: three per person for the 40 g tin, two per person for the 100 g tin and the 100 g bag, and one item per customer for the 1 kg bag.
No. The 100 g tin is sold out, as are the 40 g tin and the 100 g bag. The 1 kg bag is the format currently available.