Ippodo Tea is a family-run tea house founded in Kyoto in 1717, and Ummon (sold under its traditional name, Ummon-no-mukashi) has been one of its better-known matchas for decades. This listing is the 20 g box; Ippodo also sells Ummon in 40 g cans and bags.
What Ippodo says about it
Ippodo describes Ummon as a rich, robust matcha with powerful umami, a deep emerald colour and a sweet aroma. It is stone-milled, and Ippodo recommends it for both usucha (thin tea) and koicha (thick tea). Its suggested servings are 2 g for usucha and 4 g for koicha. Being suitable for koicha matters: thick tea uses roughly twice the powder in far less water, which exposes any bitterness, so matchas marketed for koicha sit toward the top of a house’s range.
A blend, on purpose
Ippodo blends its matcha from several farms, fields and harvests rather than bottling a single field. Its stated aim is a stable house character from year to year, with the complexity that comes from combining teas of different character. If you find you like Ummon, the next tin should taste like the last, which is harder to guarantee with single-farm matcha.
Who it suits
Ummon suits someone who drinks matcha straight and wants a fuller, more intense bowl, or who wants to try koicha. It is less sensible as a latte base: milk mutes exactly the depth you pay for here, and a latte needs more powder per cup, so the tin goes quickly. At 2 g per bowl, a 20 g box makes about ten servings of usucha or five of koicha; the matcha batch calculator works out cost per drink with the price you are paying.
How it compares
Compared with the organic, single-origin tins in our ceremonial matcha guide, Ummon trades certification and single-farm traceability for a long blending tradition and consistency. Ippodo also sells lighter matchas above and below it in its range; it is worth checking where a given name sits before ordering.
Details from Ippodo Tea’s published product information. Check the package for current size, date and directions.
