Iro Tea · M099 · Available now

First Harvest Matcha,
Shizuoka.

Specimen M099 — ranked first of eleven in our blind usucha survey. Bright green, a creamy floral aroma, a silky palate, and a sweet-umami balance that finishes clean. Best as usucha.

$4540 g tin · $6 US shipping · free over $75
Buy a tin →

Ships USPS Ground Advantage, Mondays. Prefer free pickup at any of our markets, or local San Diego delivery? Leave a note at checkout and we'll arrange it.

Vibrant green M099 ceremonial matcha powder in a glass bowl, seen from above
The specimen · by the bowl M099
§ I · Tasting

What the panel found.

Eleven matchas, blind-scored across six dimensions by a small panel. M099 took top overall — distinctive on aroma and finish, with a savory bloom that carries through the mid-palate.

“Bright green, a creamy floral aroma, silky palate, and a sweet-umami balance that finishes clean. Best as usucha.” § Tin label · Specimen M099

The full survey, with all eleven samples and per-dimension scores → Read the M099 entry in Report No. 01.

§ II · How to brew it

Two ways, both simple.

Specs from the tin. Whisked thin is what the survey scored; the latte spec is calibrated to cut through dairy without losing M099's character.

Usucha

2 g matcha · 2 oz water (~175 °F) · whisk briskly until a fine foam forms.

Latte

4 g matcha · 1 oz water · whisk, then top with 5 oz milk.

§ III · The basics

Everything on the tin.

Specimen
M099 · First-flush single-origin
Origin
Shizuoka, Japan
Net weight
1.41 oz (40 g)
Ingredients
Green tea (matcha) — nothing else
Storage
Cool, away from light. Reseal after each use.
Best by / Batch
Stamped on the underside of each tin.
Distributed by
Iro Tea, San Diego, CA
Shipping
$6 flat, USPS Ground Advantage, shipped Mondays. Free on orders over $75 (two tins). 2–5 days in CA, 3–7 elsewhere in the contiguous US.
Pickup & delivery
Free pickup at any of our farmers-market stands, or local San Diego delivery — leave a note at checkout to arrange either.
Returns
14 days on unopened tins.
§ IV · The next round

More tins, on your say-so.

What's next. M099 is one tin out of an in-progress catalog. Hojicha is on the bench, and a second matcha (M217) is in study. Whether — and which — we tin next depends on the demand signal we're gathering now.

Tell us what you'd buy → Reserve your spot on the next batch. Reservers hear first, with a small discount.