What is Nakamura Tokichi known for beyond matcha?
Founded 1854 in Uji, Kyoto — a full century before most of the brands on this site. Best known outside matcha circles for Nama-cha Jelly and a flagship café along the approach to Byodo-in temple. The matcha lineup spans seven grades from everyday usucha to koicha, and several are endorsed by grand masters of the Urasenke and Omotesenke tea ceremony schools — a prestige signal distinct from Ippodo or Marukyu's producer-direct story, and one that predates online retail by well over a century.
What's the price range across the seven tracked blends?
Ukishima no Shiro is the floor at $0.42/g, domestic pricing. Fuji no Shiro follows at $0.53/g domestic — though it's also sold through Kanso Tea ($1.07/g) and Ujicha Matcha ($1.17/g) in the US, both roughly double the domestic price. Seikan no Shiro sits at $0.72/g, Sho no Mukashi at $0.84/g. Seiko no Mukashi is $1.49/g. Uji no Mukashi runs $2.07/g domestic (also available via Ujicha Matcha at $2.33/g and Kanso Tea at $2.83/g). Ato Mukashi is the ceiling at $2.94/g domestic. All seven are in stock as of 2026-09-10. Check which storefront a price is quoted from before ordering — the domestic and US-reseller prices on the same blend can differ by close to 2x.
Is there any tasting data on Nakamura Tokichi?
One blend: Seiko no Mukashi, $1.49/g — umami 8, bitterness 4, body 9. That body score is the highest of any blend outside the three flagship brands we've fully tasted. The other six haven't been through our protocol yet; we're not implying otherwise by listing their prices.
Which Nakamura Tokichi blend should you start with?
Seiko no Mukashi, because it's the one we've actually scored — umami 8 and body 9 for $1.49/g is a real number to anchor on, not a guess. If budget matters more than data: Ukishima no Shiro at $0.42/g is untasted by us, but the Urasenke and Omotesenke endorsement history behind this house is a real quality signal even without our own scores.