Yamatocha is a type of green tea famously produced in Nara prefecture. It is said to be the origin of Japanese tea. With the ambition of creating a new kind of go-to souvenir that represents Nara prefecture, Yamatocha daifuku shop GRAN CHA will open on 28th April 2019.
*Side note*: Daifuku is a type of traditional Japanese sweet consisting of a rice cake filled with a delicious creamy filling.
Tea culture is said to have been started in Japan during the Heian period (794-1185) when Japanese missions returned from China’s Tang Dynasty with tea seeds. Yamatocha seeds are planted more than 300m above sea level in cold highland. They are raised patiently so that they produce a wonderful aroma and the leaves maintain its juicy and aromatic flavours. These are the key characteristics of Yamatocha that make it so wonderful.
GRAN CHA struggled to find a method of maintaining the wonderful aroma of Yamatocha. After a lot of trial and error, the shop finally managed to produce daifuku that allows customers to enjoy a new matcha aroma as a result of different concentrations of matcha.
The daifuku is filled with only the ingredients for Yamatocha. GRAN CHA created five different strengths of matcha daifuku on a scale of 1 ー 5 in order of matcha strength. GRAN CHA put themselves up for the challenge of making their number 5 matcha daifuku the strongest matcha daifuku in Japan.
GRAN CHA even prepared a version of their matcha daifuku that comes on a skewer, making it easy for you to eat while on the move. You can also enjoy the traditional Japanese atmosphere of the interior of the cafe. They’ve even gone as far as to make an original daifuku shaved ice treat which is only available for a limited period!
Looking to take a breather during your Nara trip? Come refresh yourself with matcha daifuku! ♪
Information
Yamatocha daifuku specialist shop GRAN CHA
Address: 22, Higashimuki Nakamachi, Nara
Access: 3-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station
Opening hours: 10 am ー 5 pm
Shop information: https://grancha-nara.com/
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