NO. 121 二十四 (NIJU-SHI) Organic Ceremonial Reserve Matcha

A perfect reset for a busy mind.

Tasting notes

Dry and savory, like Japanese dashi. A deep, forest-like bitterness: wood, green plants, and earth. The bitterness is strong at first but does not linger, and real umami sits underneath.

Mind

Zero lift. A slow, gentle calm. Your mind empties, and you forget both what bothered you and what excited you. Close to meditation without trying; time passes before you notice. A comfort on sad days. Where JUU gets your day moving and MATSUYOI steadies it, NIJU-SHI resets it.

Body

No stimulation. The calm settles slowly and evenly, and the bitterness clears quickly from the palate.

How to serve

Best straight, at 75°C, as matcha espresso (see recipe). If adding milk, oat milk is best: make an oat milk latte with 45 g matcha espresso and 100 g oat milk.

Pairing and setting

Onigiri with matcha salt, and tempura with matcha salt. The best of our teas for baking, such as matcha bread or bread with azuki. Rainy days and quiet places, like a Japanese engawa (veranda). For city people with too much on their minds.

How it is made

NAKAI Organic Harmony. Organic. A blend of more than twelve cultivars with no single star: Yabukita, Yutakamidori, Saemidori, Asanoka, Okumidori, Kanayamidori, Tsuyuhikari, Sayamakaori, Nanmei, Meiryoku, Sakimidori, Kirari, and more. Many cultivars in balance give the tea its depth, and that depth brings the calm.

Recipe

NIJU-SHI is best enjoyed straight. If adding milk, use oat milk.

1. Matcha Espresso (Straight)
The best way to taste NIJU-SHI’s deep bitterness and umami.

• Matcha: 5 g
• Water: 40 ml

1. Add 40 ml water to 5 g matcha and whisk with a chasen (bamboo whisk).
2. Serve as is.

2. Oat Milk Latte

• Matcha espresso: 45 g (5 g matcha + 40 ml water)
• Oat milk: 100 g

1. Add 40 ml water to 5 g matcha and whisk with a chasen (bamboo whisk) to make matcha espresso.
2. Warm the oat milk.
3. Pour the oat milk into the matcha espresso.

Details