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Sayaka Matcha (40g Can)

Ippodo's smooth, umami-forward 'first taste' blend: a benchmark Kyoto usucha that is pricey and often hard to get.

8.4

Great

Coffee Reviews score

See the breakdown →

Community

—/10

Grade: Ceremonial
Origin: Kyoto, Japan (blended and packaged by Ippodo Tea)
Price per serving: $2.50 / serving

Umami
Seaweed
Sweet Cream

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Last reviewed October 17, 2026 by the Coffee Reviews editors · How we score

Ippodo's smooth, umami-forward 'first taste' blend: a benchmark Kyoto usucha that is pricey and often hard to get.

Sayaka (Sayaka-no-mukashi) is a stone-milled ceremonial blend from Kyoto's Ippodo Tea, which places it in its 'rich' category and recommends it as a first taste of Ippodo matcha. Ippodo describes sweetness and umami with a hint of bitterness and soft astringency, and lists it for usucha, koicha and lattes. Creators and r/Matcha regulars treat it as a reference everyday ceremonial, though at $50 per 40 g can it costs about $2.50 a bowl and stock has been tight through the 2025–2026 matcha shortage (the 40 g bag was on pre-order when checked).

Best for

A first premium Kyoto matcha
Daily usucha drinkers who want umami without much bite
Gifting

What we like

Smooth, umami-forward blend with only a hint of bitterness (Ippodo's 'rich and smooth' profile)
Works as usucha, koicha or a latte, per Ippodo's own guidance
Stone-milled by a Kyoto tea house founded in 1717
Enjoyable straight as usucha, per creator and r/Matcha reviews

Watch-outs

About $2.50 per 2 g bowl at $50 per 40 g can
Frequently sold out; the 40 g bag was on pre-order when checked
No cultivar, harvest or farm details published
Some tasters find it more bitter than Ippodo's Seiun

Flavor profile

What it tastes like.

In the maker’s words

“Rich and smooth. A smooth blend with umami and just a hint of astringency; its sweetness and umami are accompanied by a hint of bitterness.”

Umami
Seaweed
Sweet Cream

umami
sweetness
bitterness
astringency

How it scored

The breakdown.

8.4Great

Cup score out of 10, weighted across five factors.

Flavor & cup quality30%9.1
Creators call it an all-time favorite and 'the smoothest matcha I've ever had', and Reddit tasters say it needs little or no sweetener; one side-by-side found it more bitter than Ippodo's Seiun.
Quality & freshness20%9.0
Stone-milled ceremonial blend from a 300-year-old Kyoto blender, sealed in a foil-lined can, with clear brewing specs for usucha, koicha and lattes.
Value20%7.0
At $50 for 40 g (about $2.50 per 2 g bowl) it costs roughly twice everyday ceremonials like Naoki or Mizuba Daily, though reviewers feel the quality justifies it.
Sourcing & transparency15%7.0
Ippodo states only that it is blended and packaged in Kyoto; no cultivar, harvest, farm, organic or lab-test details are published.
Community love15%9.3
One of the most-recommended matchas on r/Matcha and matcha TikTok; the main complaints are price and constant sell-outs.

Creator video reviews

Watch it in action.

3 positive1 mixed

Independent creators, verified with YouTube and TikTok. We don’t pay for reviews and creators don’t pay us.

What people are saying

From the forums.

Verbatim from Reddit, forums and long-term owner write-ups — linked so you can read the full thread.

“I recently tried sayaka and can admit I get the hype … I generally gauge how much I like a matcha based on how much sweetener I need to add to enjoy it. Sayaka was one of only a few I've tried that needs little to none imo”

u/freudersr/Matcha · 2025-04

“Sayaka is undoubtedly fragrant, but it also elicited some interesting notes from each of us. … all three of us agreed upon the presence of roasted seaweed laver/nori.”

u/teabagstardr/Matcha · 2025-04

“It's much better without oatmilk since the milk masks the profile. I enjoyed it best as usucha. It's definitely one of my favorites.”

u/LuckyCatTSr/Matcha · 2021-10

“Sayaka is goated. I rlly love it but it’s always sold out 😭 I was able to preorder for the next batch tho so I def stocked up”

u/meowmeow01119r/Matcha · 2025-05

Details

The particulars.

Origin: Kyoto, Japan (blended and packaged by Ippodo Tea)
Color: bright deep green
Milling: Stone-ground
Serving: 2 g
Sweetened: No
Best brewed as: Whisked (matcha), Lattes & milk drinks, Iced / over ice
Typical price: $50.00 for 40 g can (checked October 2026)
Servings: ≈ 20 bowls of usucha at Ippodo's 2 g serving (3 g for a latte, 4 g for koicha)

Official product page

Community

Member tasting notes & discussion.

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Discussion

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FAQ

Good questions.

Is Sayaka good for matcha lattes?

Yes, though it is not Ippodo's default latte pick. Ippodo usually recommends a lighter, more astringent matcha for lattes, but notes that some choose Sayaka for its bright color, umami and soft astringency; it suggests 3 g per latte.

How much Sayaka should I use per bowl?

Ippodo's guide is 2 g (1 level teaspoon) with 60 mL of 80°C water for usucha, whisked for 15 seconds. For koicha it uses 4 g with 30 mL of water.

Should I buy the can or the bag?

Both hold 40 g of the same tea: the can was $50 and the zip bag $49 when checked, and the bag was listed on pre-order. Ippodo also sells a 100 g bag for $119 and advises consuming matcha quickly once opened.

Why is Sayaka hard to find?

Ippodo said in January 2025 that demand had surged beyond all expectations and that all its matcha sells out quickly after restocking, because matcha is harvested once a year and stone-milling is slow. Its Fall 2026 update says core matcha prices are due to be adjusted in early 2027.

Sources (13)

Alternatives

Sayaka Matcha (40g Can)

What it tastes like.

The breakdown.

Watch it in action.

From the forums.

The particulars.

Member tasting notes & discussion.

Discussion

Good questions.

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