Today, an enormous volume of matcha is available on the market. Products labeled as “ceremonial grade” or advertised as “from Kyoto” are widespread, giving the impression that they are all of superior quality. However, the world’s finest matcha producers—including Marukyu Koyamaen, Yamamasa Koyamaen, and Itoh Ryuouen Chaho—employ a specific approach that allows each of them to create matcha that is both unmistakably distinctive and of the highest caliber.

What is Gogumi

“That practice” is blending—known in Japanese as gogumi.
Gogumi refers to the blending stage in the matcha production process, in which tea leaves from different regions, cultivars, or harvest periods are deliberately combined. This work is carried out by highly trained tea masters and blenders, whose deep expertise and technical skill allow them to design balance, consistency, and quality in the final matcha.

Why Matcha Is Blended: The Purpose of Gogumi

There are two main reasons why matcha is blended:

To Make Matcha Better

The main purpose of blending, or gogumi, is to create a superior matcha. Each tea leaf has its own distinct aroma, flavor, and color. Using just a single type can sometimes result in a taste or scent that is too strong or overpowering, making it slightly unpleasant to drink. By carefully blending multiple teas in the right balance, it is possible to create a delicious matcha that brings out the best aspects of each leaf.
Blending allows the creation of complex, layered flavors and aromas that a single type of tea leaf cannot achieve, while also ensuring consistent quality in the final product. Even within the same category of tea leaves, factors such as the region of cultivation, cultivar, seasonal climate, and the degree of steaming can all affect the taste, aroma, and color of the tea. Each tea leaf is carefully studied for its unique characteristics, and the blend is adjusted to bring out the best qualities in flavor, aroma, and color. The proportions of the different leaves are meticulously balanced to maximize their individual strengths.

For example, using a tea leaf that is naturally very astringent on its own can result in a matcha that is harsh or difficult to drink. By blending it with another leaf that has less astringency, the bitterness is balanced, producing a smoother, more enjoyable tea. Alternatively, blending a tea leaf with a subtle aroma with another that is more fragrant can result in a richly aromatic tea. Because even small adjustments in the blend can dramatically change the flavor and aroma, gogumi requires tea masters and professional blenders with extensive expertise and highly refined skills, who carry out the process with great precision and care.

To Ensure Consistent Quality and Supply

The quality of tea leaves can vary from year to year due to climatic conditions such as temperature, sunlight, and rainfall. If tea were sold without accounting for these variations, the taste and overall quality would fluctuate significantly from one year to the next. In addition, there are years when poor weather conditions lead to reduced tea harvests. In such cases, the amount of tea available for sale can decrease significantly, making it difficult to maintain a stable supply. By blending tea leaves with others, it is possible to compensate for qualities that may be lacking in a particular year’s harvest. At the same time, blending helps secure sufficient volume for sale, making it easier to consistently distribute tea of the same quality year after year.

Single-Origin Marketing in Today’s Matcha Industry

As an aside, many matcha brands—especially those outside Japan—promote their products by emphasizing that they are “single origin.” Single-origin matcha uses only one type of tea leaf and tends to have more pronounced taste, flavor, or aroma characteristics than blended teas. While this can be appealing as a form of individuality, the term alone often leads to the false assumption that the matcha is inherently purer or higher in quality. For those seeking the refined balance achieved by Japanese tea masters, such claims should be viewed carefully.

On MatchaJima, we remain committed to sharing high-quality, exceptional Japanese matcha with everyone.