Bold Organic Okumidori for Usucha & Refined Matcha Latte
Walnut · Buttery Greens · Velvety Umami
Matcha Okumidori BIO is a JAS Organic first-harvest matcha from Kagoshima, crafted exclusively from the Okumidori cultivar. Bold and full-bodied, it combines distinctive walnut notes, buttery steamed greens and pronounced umami with a velvety texture and refreshing finish.
Its strength and vivid green character make it particularly versatile: refined enough to enjoy pure as Usucha, yet expressive enough to retain its personality with a restrained amount of milk. For customers seeking one organic single-cultivar matcha that moves confidently between water and milk preparations, Okumidori is one of our most versatile choices.
Best For
Choose Matcha Okumidori BIO when you want a bold, nutty organic matcha that can be enjoyed both pure and with milk. We particularly recommend it for Usucha and refined Matcha Latte, where its walnut, green and umami character remains clearly identifiable.
From the Tea Garden
The garden is led by a second-generation tea farmer dedicated to organic cultivation. Its tea fields grow in Kagoshima's volcanic, mineral-rich soils above cedar forest, in a particularly clean growing environment. The same garden also produces Tea Repertoire's Matcha Saemidori and Matcha Evergreen BIO.
Tea Repertoire Sensory Profile
Bold · Nutty · Vegetal · Umami
Walnut · Buttery Greens · Velvety Umami
Matcha Okumidori BIO opens with sweet, buttery aromas reminiscent of walnut, raw hazelnut and shortbread biscuit. On the palate, these nutty notes meet buttered steamed greens and a pronounced vegetal character, before developing into lingering umami sweetness and a refreshing green-floral finish.
Its texture is full-bodied and velvety: powerful enough to remain expressive with milk, yet mellow and low in bitterness when carefully prepared with water.
How the cup develops: walnut and buttery shortbread on the aroma lead into full-bodied walnut and buttered greens, followed by velvety umami sweetness and a fresh green-floral finish.
Why We Selected This Matcha
A Bold Organic Matcha That Performs Beautifully with Water and Milk
At Tea Repertoire, we select matcha according to its origin, cultivar, cultivation, craftsmanship, sensory character and intended preparation rather than relying on a marketing grade alone.
Okumidori stood out for its combination of strength, vivid green character, full body and distinctive walnut notes. It is sufficiently refined for Usucha, while its pronounced nutty, vegetal and umami profile gives it enough presence to remain expressive in a Matcha Latte.
This makes it especially useful for customers who do not want to choose between a matcha for pure preparation and a separate matcha for milk. Its accessible positioning also makes regular latte preparation realistic without reducing Okumidori to an everyday-latte matcha.
Our recommendation: choose Matcha Okumidori BIO if you enjoy bold green character, walnut notes and a velvety texture, and want an organic single-cultivar matcha that performs particularly well as both Usucha and a refined Matcha Latte.
Origin & Craftsmanship
Matcha Okumidori BIO comes from an organic tea garden in Kagoshima, where a second-generation farmer cultivates tea in volcanic, mineral-rich soil. Its character is shaped by first-harvest leaves, four weeks of direct covering, the Okumidori cultivar and traditional stone milling.
First Harvest · Ichibancha
Matcha Okumidori BIO is produced from the first harvest of the year, known as Ichibancha, using the spring leaves selected for this matcha.
4 Weeks of Direct Covering
The tea plants are directly covered for four weeks before harvest. This shading period is part of the cultivation approach used for this Okumidori matcha.
100% Okumidori
This is a single-cultivar matcha made exclusively from Okumidori, allowing the cultivar's expression in this Kagoshima garden to remain central to the cup.
Stone-Milled
The finished tencha is stone-milled into a fine matcha powder, supporting the velvety texture that is central to Okumidori's sensory identity.
JAS Organic
The garden is dedicated to organic tea cultivation, and Matcha Okumidori BIO is JAS Organic certified and pesticide-free.
Volcanic Kagoshima Terroir
The tea grows in volcanic, mineral-rich soil in gardens situated above cedar forest, forming part of the distinctive environment in which this Okumidori is cultivated.
Understanding Okumidori Through Origin
Comparing two Okumidori matcha shows why cultivar is only one part of the story. Garden, origin and cultivation also influence the finished cup. Explore Matcha Uji Hana BIO to experience a different expression of the same cultivar.
How to Prepare Matcha Okumidori BIO
Usucha
- Sift 1.5–2 g of matcha into a chawan.
- Add 70–80 ml of water at approximately 75–80°C.
- Whisk briskly with a chasen until evenly dispersed with a fine foam.
- Drink immediately to experience the walnut, green and umami progression.
Why Usucha: water reveals Okumidori's full-bodied texture, walnut character, buttered greens and lingering umami without masking its individuality.
Refined Matcha Latte
- Sift 2–2.5 g of matcha.
- Whisk with your preferred amount of water within the 150–200 ml range.
- Add approximately 50 ml of milk.
- Adjust the water quantity according to the intensity and length you prefer.
Keeping milk restrained preserves Okumidori's walnut, green and umami identity while adding roundness to its naturally full-bodied texture.
Cold Matcha with Water
- Add sifted matcha to cold water.
- Whisk or shake thoroughly until evenly dispersed.
- Serve chilled, with ice if desired.
Cold preparation highlights Okumidori's vivid green character and refreshing finish while retaining its nutty undertone.
Iced Matcha Latte
- Whisk 2–2.5 g matcha with 100–150 ml water.
- Pour over ice.
- Add 50–100 ml cold milk according to your preferred balance.
Use less milk for a more matcha-forward expression; increase towards 100 ml for a softer, more latte-like cup.
For more detailed ratios and techniques for milk-based matcha, continue with our preparation guide.
Read the Ultimate Matcha Latte Guide →Milk Pairing for Matcha Okumidori BIO
Okumidori's bold green character, walnut notes and full body give it enough structure to work with milk. For its most refined expression, however, we recommend allowing the matcha to remain the central ingredient.
Restrained Milk
Around 50 ml of milk complements Okumidori's velvety body and nutty character without overwhelming its buttered-green and umami dimensions.
More Milk
Okumidori can also support a larger everyday latte because of its strength and accessible positioning, although increasing the milk progressively softens its distinctive walnut, green and umami character.
Tea Repertoire pairing principle: choose Okumidori when you want the matcha itself to remain clearly present. For a more milk-forward everyday organic latte, compare it with Matcha Evergreen BIO. For a dedicated latte-first option, compare Matcha Latte Supreme.
Where Does Matcha Okumidori BIO Fit?
Choose by Preparation, Not Only by a Grade Label
Japan does not have a universal official grading system defining every matcha sold as “ceremonial grade”. At Tea Repertoire, we therefore look at origin, cultivar, harvest, cultivation, craftsmanship, sensory profile and intended preparation.
Matcha Okumidori BIO is selected to be enjoyed pure as Usucha, while its bold body and nutty-green character also make it particularly successful in a refined Matcha Latte. We do not recommend it for Koicha.
Explore the Matcha Grades & Quality Guide →Which Matcha Is Right for You?
Matcha Okumidori BIO occupies a useful middle ground between pure matcha and latte preparation. These comparisons can help you decide whether its particular balance is right for you.
Matcha Okumidori BIO
Choose it for a bold, full-bodied organic matcha with walnut, pronounced green character and velvety umami that performs particularly well as Usucha and refined Matcha Latte.
Best when you want one expressive matcha for both water and milk.Matcha Uji Hana BIO
Choose Uji Hana to explore another Okumidori expression from Uji, with a more earthy direction compared with Okumidori BIO's walnut-driven Kagoshima profile.
Explore Matcha Uji Hana BIO →Matcha Evergreen BIO
Choose Evergreen BIO when value and regular milk-based preparation take priority. Choose Okumidori for a higher-grade, stronger and more vivid expression that is also suited to Usucha.
Explore Matcha Evergreen BIO →Matcha Saemidori
Both come from the same Kagoshima garden. Choose Okumidori when you prefer a bolder, stronger and more pronounced green character.
Explore Matcha Saemidori →Tea Repertoire principle: start with how you want to prepare your matcha, then refine your choice through cultivar, sensory profile, origin and personal preference.
Continue Your Matcha Journey
Explore Tea Repertoire Academy to understand how cultivar, preparation and sensory character can help you choose matcha beyond marketing grade terminology.
Ultimate Guide to Matcha
Explore matcha cultivation, production, preparation and tasting in greater depth.
Read the Ultimate Guide to Matcha →How to Prepare an Iced Matcha Latte
Follow our step-by-step method for a refreshing iced Matcha Latte and adapt the milk quantity to keep Okumidori expressive.
Read the Iced Matcha Latte Guide →Complete Your Matcha Ritual
The right tools make it easier to prepare Okumidori evenly and appreciate its full-bodied, velvety texture, particularly when preparing Usucha.
Chasen
A traditional bamboo matcha whisk designed to disperse matcha evenly and create a fine, lightly frothy texture.
Explore the Bamboo Matcha Whisk →Chawan
A matcha bowl provides the space and shape needed for comfortable whisking and traditional Usucha preparation.
Explore Matcha Bowls & Chawan →Chashaku
A traditional bamboo scoop used for measuring and handling matcha before whisking.
Explore the Bamboo Matcha Scoop →Frequently Asked Questions
Find quick answers about Matcha Okumidori BIO, its cultivar, origin, sensory profile and recommended preparations.
What is Matcha Okumidori BIO?
Matcha Okumidori BIO is a JAS Organic, pesticide-free matcha from Kagoshima, Japan, made exclusively from the Okumidori cultivar. It is produced from first-harvest leaves, directly covered for four weeks and stone-milled.
What does Matcha Okumidori BIO taste like?
Its sensory profile is bold, nutty, vegetal and umami-rich, with notes of walnut, raw hazelnut, buttery shortbread and buttered steamed greens. It has a full-bodied, velvety mouthfeel and a lingering umami-sweet, fresh green-floral finish.
Is Matcha Okumidori BIO good for Usucha?
Yes. Usucha is one of our primary recommendations for Matcha Okumidori BIO. Prepare it with 1.5–2 g of matcha and 70–80 ml of water at approximately 75–80°C to experience its walnut, buttery-green and umami character without milk.
Is Matcha Okumidori BIO suitable for Koicha?
No. Tea Repertoire does not recommend Matcha Okumidori BIO for Koicha. Suitability for Usucha does not automatically mean that a matcha is also suited to the much more concentrated Koicha preparation.
Can I use Matcha Okumidori BIO for Matcha Latte?
Yes. Its bold character, full body and pronounced walnut and green notes allow it to remain expressive with milk. We particularly recommend a refined, matcha-forward latte using 2–2.5 g matcha, 150–200 ml water and approximately 50 ml milk.
How does Matcha Okumidori BIO compare with Matcha Evergreen BIO?
Both come from the same organic Kagoshima garden. Matcha Evergreen BIO is more oriented towards value and regular milk-based preparation, while Matcha Okumidori BIO is higher grade, stronger and more vivid, with the refinement needed for Usucha as well as Matcha Latte.
How does Matcha Okumidori BIO compare with Matcha Uji Hana BIO?
Both are Okumidori matcha, but they express the cultivar differently. Matcha Okumidori BIO from Kagoshima is less earthy and more walnut-driven, while Matcha Uji Hana BIO offers an earthier Okumidori expression from Uji.
Is Matcha Okumidori BIO organic?
Yes. Matcha Okumidori BIO is JAS Organic certified and pesticide-free. It comes from a Kagoshima garden led by a second-generation tea farmer dedicated to organic tea cultivation.
How should I store Matcha Okumidori BIO after opening?
Keep the matcha tightly sealed and protected from heat, light, oxygen, moisture and strong odours. If refrigerated, allow the sealed container to return towards room temperature before opening to reduce condensation risk.