Tasting Matcha in Kyoto — A Beginner's Guide, Starting with the Old Tea Houses

From a single bowl of matcha

In Kyoto, a tea culture with its roots in nearby Uji runs through the everyday life of the city. "Matcha" covers a wide range — from a bowl you whisk yourself, to thick koicha paired with wagashi, to matcha as an ingredient in parfaits and sweets. As an entry point to tasting matcha, this article introduces three places, each with a different character.

A hands-on tearoom where you whisk your own — Ippodo Tea, Kaboku Tearoom

Ippodo Tea is a long-established tea house founded in 1717, with its main store on Teramachi-dori. Its adjoining tearoom, "Kaboku," is built around doing it yourself: you whisk your own matcha or steep your own gyokuro, with a teapot, a small timer for steeping, and a wagashi set before you. For matcha you can choose from usucha blends such as "Kyogoku-no-mukashi." About a five-minute walk from Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae Station.

A 300-year tea producer's tearoom — Marukyu Koyamaen Nishinotoin, Moto-an Tearoom

Marukyu Koyamaen Nishinotoin is the directly run shop of Marukyu Koyamaen, a 300-year-old Uji tea producer. Inside the renovated machiya it keeps a Japanese-tea cafe, "Moto-an," where you can enjoy matcha, gyokuro, and sencha with wagashi while looking out over a small garden. Its matcha roll cake, available only at this shop, is also popular. In the Karasuma Oike area.

A venerable tea merchant's matcha parfait — Nakamura Tokichi Kyoto

Nakamura Tokichi is a long-established tea merchant founded in Uji in 1854. At its Kyoto branch (formerly the Kyoto Station shop), on the "Eat Paradise" floor of the Kyoto Station Building, you can enjoy matcha sweets such as the "Maruto Parfait," which layers matcha and hojicha, and the "Nama-cha Zelly." It is easy to reach, connected directly to Kyoto Station.

Before you go

All three are popular and can have a wait, especially on weekends (many do not take reservations). Menus, prices, and hours change with the season, so check each shop's official site or Google Maps. Matcha tastes quite different as usucha versus koicha, so if it is your first time, tell the staff your preference and let them help you choose.