Kettl Producer Series | Masayoshi Koyama of Yamamasa Koyamaen
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Time to read 4 min
The story of Kettl is inseparable from the stories of the producers we work with. We see our role as stewards and partners in bringing their teas to a wider audience and celebrating the vast world of Japanese tea and all of its concentric circles—craft, cuisine, and community. It is in this spirit that we launched our producer series last year, bringing Masayoshi Koyama of Yamamasa Koyamaen to New York for a weekend of lectures and classes, and we are thrilled to be hosting him next month in Los Angeles for another round of singular events with more exciting collaborations in the works. However, we understand that not everyone who is interested in exploring the world and stories of Japanese tea deeper is able to join us in person. We have been thinking through ways to connect our customers with some of our favorite teas and the makers behind them and are thrilled to launch our Producer Profile Series.
Each month, we will highlight a producer, the range of offerings we source from them, and tell the story of our collaboration through words and images. In addition to these deep dives on some of Japan’s most respected and emerging voices, we will be running a celebratory promotion to help share their incredible teas with our community. This month, we are highlighting Masayoshi Koyama and his family operation, Yamamasa Koyamaen. We are running a giveaway between March 16th at 12:00 am ET and Sunday, March 22nd at 11:59 pm ET—all orders that contain one or more matcha products from our catalog will receive a free tin of Koyama-san’s Kiyona Matcha (while supplies last). Kiyona is one of our favorite selections for sophisticated mixed drinks like lattes and sparkling matcha. Its elegant profile also shines when prepared traditionally as usucha, making it one of the most dynamic and versatile selections we offer.
I first learned of Yamamasa Koyamaen through its neighborly proximity to Marukyu Koyamaen. The similarity in name caught my attention, and through some quiet questioning, I learned that, like many Kyoto companies, the two were once part of the same family story. Brothers had ultimately gone their separate ways, establishing their own shops. Both remained deeply committed to quality, though their flavor profiles evolved in distinct directions.
For years, my contact with Yamamasa was limited. That changed about seven years ago when I learned that the company’s former president, Koyama Masajiro, had played a role in developing the Samidori cultivar in the town of Ogura, Uji. That single detail sparked my curiosity and led me down a deeper path into their teas.
What I discovered was a flavor profile that felt both rooted in Uji and uniquely their own. Compared with Uji more broadly—and Marukyu Koyamaen in particular—Yamamasa Koyamaen’s teas carried a fragrant, nutty nose while still maintaining the depth and elegance that define the region. Green almond, toasted nori, and the thick umami one expects from great Uji matcha were all present, but layered with a gentle nuttiness that reminded me of the familiar warmth of Yame teas.
At first, I was admittedly intimidated by the idea of asking for a meeting—introducing myself from scratch and hoping to secure even a small amount of their precious tea. Their products were already well known within the domestic Japanese market, particularly among practitioners of traditional tea ceremony. I couldn’t help but wonder how a guy running a small tea shop above a Japanese restaurant in Brooklyn might possibly break in.
But after a few emails and a few meetings, I was fortunate enough to connect with the youngest generation of the Koyama family, Masayoshi Koyama.
When we first met at his office in Ogura, the conversation was surprisingly wide-ranging. We spoke about design, photography, building thoughtful retail experiences—and how remarkably few good books on Japanese tea exist in English. That first meeting would become the beginning of a relationship that has continued to deepen over the years.
What struck me most about Masayoshi Koyama was his openness. Despite the long history of the company and the strong domestic demand for their teas, he approached our conversation with curiosity rather than hesitation. We spoke about tea of course, but also about presentation, the experience of drinking matcha outside of Japan, and the opportunity to introduce these traditions to a new audience.
Over time, that conversation slowly evolved into a partnership.
Rather than approaching the relationship as a simple buyer and supplier, our work together has always felt more collaborative. We have spent years tasting through their production, discussing the nuances between cultivars and blends, and thinking about how their teas might be shared with a growing community of tea drinkers abroad. Their approach to blending—refined over generations—has always impressed me, particularly their ability to maintain the unmistakable depth of Uji while allowing a softer, nutty aromatic quality to emerge.
For us at Kettl, working with Yamamasa Koyamaen has been a privilege. It represents not only access to exceptional teas, but also the opportunity to share the work of a family whose history is deeply intertwined with the development of modern matcha itself.
Today, their teas have become an important part of our offerings, connecting our customers to a lineage of tea production that stretches from the fields of Ogura in Uji to the bowls we whisk every day. Yamamasa san’s teas now form many of the foundational offerings of our Kettl Matcha Sen Mon Ten
It now feels especially meaningful to see that relationship come full circle. What began as a quiet meeting in Ogura eventually led to welcoming Masayoshi Koyama to our own spaces—first in New York, and soon in Los Angeles—where he whisked matcha, spoke with guests, and shared the philosophy behind his family’s work. Watching customers encounter these teas not as distant products but as the living expression of a family and place was a powerful reminder of why these partnerships matter. Tea travels far, but moments like these bring it back to its origin: people sitting together, bowl in hand, sharing something made with care.
