So... what is Kenko Tea?
Hi there! Kenko Tea is an online tea shop originally started and based in Melbourne, Australia. After being successful in Australia, our new goal is to bring matcha and spread the love to the other side of the world, America.
We sell supremely healthy, incredibly tasty authentic matcha green tea powder that produced and cultivated in Nishio region, southern Japan. All the products you purchase has been processed only within the last month to ensure the freshness, aroma, and quality of the matcha.
The name Kenko (健康) in Japanese means healthy. As the name suggests, we want to introduce the healthy super food matcha to your daily life. Our customers, naturally, are also the smartest, sexiest and healthiest people getting around.
What do we do?
Our philosophy is simple, "Do one thing and do it well."
So our focus is solely on sourcing the finest quality matcha tea from Japan and making it available to Australia and now America.
You won't find 50 different tea blends, mixes and strains, just the highest quality Japanese matcha available on the market.
We source from sustainable tea growers in Nishio Japan, and you can even reuse our tins and packaging once you run out of matcha. After all, sustainable environment is what we love and concern as well!
Who's behind it? A cartoon fox?
No, no. It is run by myself, Sam James. I am a chef, foodie, green tea lover.
Kenko Tea is the intersection of a few of my biggest passions. Namely:
- My desire to live a healthier lifestyle
- An appreciation of quality artisanal ingredients
- And of course my love affair with Japanese Matcha Tea
The story
I first discovered matcha tea while looking for a healthier alternative to coffee.
You see, I loved coffee. The taste, the aroma...(hold on I'm trying to sell tea here). After years of working in Melbourne cafes I was a certified coffee addict. But what I didn't like were the side effects. The jittery, 'wired' feeling I felt, the ups and downs followed by the afternoon caffeine crash. So my search for a healthy alternative began.
I came across matcha after trying a few types green tea, and instantly loved it. The intense color, it's unique flavor, it's endless versatility for making sweets and smoothies. Not to mention the amazing health benefits and antioxidant levels.
After sampling just about every grade of matcha I could find, I wasn't impressed with what was available in Australia. Most were dull shades of murky green, bitter to taste and no real aroma.
Matcha is a very delicate product, with a short lifespan. It should be vibrant 'electric' green in color. with a fresh, sweet, grassy aroma that delights you. A lot of the matcha green tea sold in shops is stale, dull, lifeless and colorless - with good reason. Matcha loses its freshness very quickly after being ground into a fine powder. Exposure to air, light and any extremities damage it even further.
So I started Kenko Tea with the goal of bringing the real quality Japanese matcha green tea to Australia. At Kenko, as we are a small company, we order matcha in small batches, and the matcha is only stone ground once we place an order. Meaning you are getting a much fresher product than what is available in any store. Larger stores have to order in bulk; it then sits in a warehouse before being shipped to their own warehouses, being packaged, and sent to the stores. The result = lifeless & dull Matcha. The opposite of what it should be.
With all the love and passion for matcha, I hope you will love our products and continue to support Kenko Tea. If you want get in touch, feel free to shoot me an email at hello@kenkomatcha.com :)
