The Work of a Tea Master

Why Having Tea Masters Makes Matcha Truly Premium

Around the world, terms like “ceremonial grade matcha” and “vivid green matcha” are often used as if they automatically meant “the best.” In Japan, however, there is no official grading system called “ceremonial grade.” Judging quality only by color or fineness of the powder is a very superficial way to evaluate matcha – it’s the kind of criteria anyone can talk about.

Designing that balance, and making the final adjustments, is the work of the tea master.

Like a Whisky Blender or a Michelin-Level Chef

If you want an image for “tea master,” think of a whisky blender.

They understand the character of each aged spirit and each cask, and then blend them to create a complete, harmonious final product. In the world of matcha, that is exactly what a tea master does.

In restaurant terms, the presence or absence of a top-class chef determines the quality of a restaurant.

In tea, the presence or absence of a tea master determines the character and quality of the brand. Which “ingredients” (tea leaves) are chosen, how they are combined, and how they are finished – the tea master’s palate and experience decide the quality of every cup.

Phenimax is a team of professional Japanese tea masters, creating matcha and Japanese teas together.

The Difference Between a Farmers’ Market and a Fine Restaurant

You often see online shops featuring photos of a tea farmer standing next to the shop owner, telling a simple origin story.

This is very similar to a farmers’ market, where fresh vegetables are laid out and sold. The quality of the ingredients is clear, but at that stage it is not yet “cuisine.”

Tea masters are involved in every stage of tea making: selecting leaves, processing, blending, and final finishing.

From choosing the ingredients (tea leaves) to serving a complete “dish” (matcha or Japanese tea), none of it can happen at a high level without tea masters.

Fenimax is not just about growing premium tea leaves. We also source exceptional leaves from all over Japan through the tea market, and then our tea masters transform them into highly refined matcha and Japanese teas.

Our goal is matcha and Japanese teas crafted by a “brigade” of top-class tea masters.

Why Buying From Just One Farm Isn’t Enough

Weather and climate change from year to year. Some years bring excellent harvests; other years do not.

If a brand simply buys from one farm and grinds whatever comes in, the natural variation in harvest quality and flavor shows up directly in the product. Batch-to-batch and year-to-year differences cannot be properly controlled.

Phenimax has its own managed tea fields and a nationwide network of organic tea farmers.

On top of that, we are one of the few certified companies allowed to buy directly from farmers at Japan’s largest tea trading market, the Shizuoka Tea Market. Certification requires rigorous screening, and only around 50 companies are approved.

Every day, tea leaves arrive at this market from farms across Japan. Over the course of a year, thousands of different teas pass through Shizuoka.

Phenimax’s tea masters carefully select from this immense variety and create blends from the very best leaves.

What Tea Masters Actually Do: Selection and Blending

A tea master’s work is not simply to take the leaves from one farm and use them as-is.

They stand in front of a wide range of teas from all over Japan and decide which leaves to use, and how to combine them. They are designers of flavor and aroma.

The process is simple to describe, but extremely demanding to execute:

• Inspecting the appearance, aroma, taste, and color of the tea with all five senses
• Understanding how each year’s climate affects quality and character, then choosing only leaves that match the intended profile
• Regularly visiting the fields to check how the tea plants are growing
• Deciding, at harvest, the exact steaming time for that year’s leaves
• Blending multiple teas together and controlling the final roasting (hi-ire), where even the last seconds matter

Fenimax’s matcha and Japanese teas are created through this entire process, carried out with care by Japanese professional tea masters, aiming for cups that truly deserve to be called “top-quality.”

The Japanese Tea Masters Behind Phenimax

Phenimax’s concept of “(a matcha or Japanese tea) brand with real tea masters” is supported by a group of Japanese specialists:

• Hitomi, a tea master and certified Japanese Tea Instructor
• Mr. Hirayanagi, former chair of the Japan National Hand-Rolling Preservation Society, recognized as a holder of Japan’s intangible cultural heritage techniques
• Akihiko, who, together with a Japanese university, was the first in the world to develop organic whole-food GABA matcha with a GABA content of 400 mg per 100 g
• Mr. Irie, who has crafted tea served to the Emperor of Japan during visits to Kyushu
• Mr. Matsushita, who grows “wild-style” Japanese tea with no pesticides and no fertilizers, and uses his extraordinary palate to create remarkable blends
• Mr. Fuseda, who turns extremely rare 100% Kyoto Uji organic tea leaves into finished products of outstanding quality
• And finally, Phenimax’s owner and founder, The Tanaka.
• Tanaka is one of the very few people authorized to trade at Japan’s largest tea market, the Shizuoka Tea Market, where thousands of teas from all over the country are brought together each year.

This team of tea masters and experts is what underpins the quality and flavor of Phenimax and Unicross teas.

Our mission is to offer Japanese teas that let you taste not only the leaves themselves, but also the skill, judgment, and craftsmanship of the people who chose, blended, and perfected them.