Meet SAEKA: the organic sencha powder we have been waiting to share

I have been wanting to tell you about SAEKA for a while.

It is our first deep-steamed sencha powder: stone-milled from first-harvest Saemidori leaves in Kagoshima, JAS certified organic, and unlike anything else in our range.

And before we go further: it is not matcha. I say that with love for matcha, because we built this business on ceremonial bowls and bamboo whisks. SAEKA is different tea altogether. You whisk it the same way. The ritual feels familiar. But the cup is brighter, more floral, naturally sweet. Full-sun sencha, deep steamed for about 90 seconds, then milled fine enough that you do not need to sift.

If you have been on our early access list, thank you. You helped us get here. SAEKA is available now, and I am genuinely excited for you to try it.

Why organic matters to me

When we choose tea for Purematcha, organic certification is not a box to tick. It is a promise about how the leaf was grown.

On a JAS organic farm, growers cannot spray synthetic pesticides when bugs show up. They cannot lean on chemical fertilisers to push colour and yield. Everything is audited. Everything is documented. And a lot of the hard work is done by hand: weeding, watching, protecting young leaf through a spring harvest when pests are hungry and the weather is unpredictable.

I have visited enough tea fields in Japan to know that organic farming is more work, not less. Farmers who commit to it are betting on patience, soil health, and skill rather than shortcuts.

That is what drew me to this project. Saemidori is an elegant cultivar (“sae” means vivid, “midori” means green) with floral notes and natural sweetness. Fukamushi steaming breaks the leaf down so it dissolves easily and the texture feels creamy in the bowl. And because we only use first harvest leaf, you taste the season at its peak.

If you want more context on how organic tea farms operate in Japan, we wrote a longer piece on organic Japanese tea farming last year. SAEKA is that philosophy in a cup.

Not matcha. Something else worth whisking.

I get asked this a lot, so we filmed a short clip on sencha powder vs matcha. The short version:

Matcha will always have a place on my bench. SAEKA is for when I want the whisking ritual without the weight of shade-grown umami. It is also brilliant iced. The sweetness carries through milk or oat milk without needing much added sugar.

Sencha powder vs matcha: why full-sun Saemidori tastes different from shade-grown tencha.

Both videos are on our SAEKA launch page if you want to watch them together.

SAEKA Organic Deep Steamed Sencha Powder (Saemidori Cultivar)

JAS organic deep-steamed sencha powder · Saemidori · Kagoshima first harvest.

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What it tastes like

The first time I opened a pack, the floral aroma hit immediately. Not perfumed. Just fresh and expressive, like walking into a good tea room on a spring morning.

In the bowl it is mellow and naturally sweet, with a warm brothy depth underneath, almost like a delicate green tea soup. The finish is clean. No harshness. No grit. It foams easily and invites a second pour.

You can compare SAEKA side by side with our matcha range on the tasting chart if you like charts and sliders. I am biased, but I think the sweetness score speaks for itself.

How I make it

Hot bowl

1. 2 g SAEKA (about half a teaspoon) in your chawan
2. 40 ml water at roughly 80°C. Never boiling.
3. Whisk with your chasen until frothy
4. Top up with warm water to taste

Iced latte

This is the drink I make most often at home. SAEKA was built for it. The powder dissolves cleanly, the colour stays vivid, and you do not need to sweeten as aggressively as some matcha lattes.

How I shake SAEKA into an iced latte at home.

Same whisk, same water discipline as matcha. If you are new to powdered tea, our New to Matcha guide covers the basics. They apply here too.

A few facts, if you like the detail

Try it

SAEKA is in stock now. If you joined our early access list, your early bird code still works at checkout.

SAEKA Organic Deep Steamed Sencha Powder (Saemidori Cultivar)

Stone-milled JAS organic sencha powder from Kagoshima. Limited first-harvest batches.

View product

Thank you for reading, and for caring about where your tea comes from. I hope SAEKA becomes part of your routine the way it has mine.

Stephen
Founder, Purematcha Australia