Three generations, one hillside

KAI began as a roadside tea stall in Wazuka in 1923. We still roast hojicha in the same iron pan.

Aerial view of curving rows of tea bushes

Wabi-sabi, in a cup

We like things a little uneven: a chawan with a thumbprint in the glaze, a sencha that tastes different from last year. Tea is agriculture first, and every season leaves its mark.

Today the third generation runs the shop with eleven partner gardens across Kyoto, Shizuoka, Fukuoka and Kagoshima.

  • 1923First stall in Wazuka
  • 11Family gardens
  • 6Potters we work with
  • 48hFrom sealing to shipping
Baskets of loose leaf tea at a market

How we choose

Every spring we taste around two hundred lots. Perhaps twenty make it onto the shelf. We look for clarity, sweetness and a finish that lingers — and for growers who look after their soil.

Taste this year's picks