Last month, we invited Ippodo Tea Co. from Kyoto to host a matcha tea-making workshop
that was held in the Native & Co store over two days.
This marked our very first collaboration with the renowned tea specialist
and we were privileged to welcome Ayako from Ippodo to guide the workshop.

Introduction to Matcha - Japanese Powdered Green Tea

We began by first introducing the history of the stone-grounded matcha tea - from its roots in Zen Buddhist thought and practice, the development of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony to contemporary practices of consuming Matcha.

Matcha originally developed from the Buddhist monks who refined the art of preparing and consuming tea as a means of aiding mental focus during meditation. Today, with the likes of Ippodo - who are committed to upholding Japanese green tea traditions and making matcha accessible, it is now widely consumed as both a daily beverage and as a versatile culinary ingredient.

Matcha Whisking

Ayako demonstrates whisking techniques to visitors of the workshop.

After a practice run of whisking water using a chasen (bamboo whisk), participants now begin whisking away their very own bowl of matcha.

We hope that by the end of the workshop, visitors were inspired to whisk the perfect bowl of matcha green tea from the comfort of their own homes using the expert skills taught in the workshop.