Ippodo Chaho Kyoto Honten

Full disclosure: I collect tea and consider tea drinking a hobby and at times a meditation practice. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed Ippodo twice, spanning 8 years. Their tea is top-​notch, but their uniqueness is the ability to be serious tea connoisseurs/​purveyors while at the same time conveying such friendliness and warmth, even to novices. Their small café is a MUST DO. You will receive a personalized tea preparation lesson with demonstration and coaching but zero smugness. Ideally, go with a companion or two and order different types of tea so you can learn and compare. Note the beautiful sumi-​e painting in the tokonoma, and ask your waitress about it. In our post-​sakura season visit, she explained that it was from the owner’s collection, is old and rare, and illustrates the traditional sweet we were being served. Only in Japan: such pride in product, such joy of the season, such respect for history. A lovely interlude from shopping on this incredible street.

I had the special of the month — Sincha. And also bought some tea to make at home. Will come again to try others.

If you love matcha and Japanese green tea, Ippodo Chaho is a must visit.
Here you can get the highest grade products to go and of course even sit down and enjoy some of their tea with a Japanese sweet.
I love their Gyokuro they carries as those are not easy to find in Toronto. While enjoying one of those in their tea room, the staff would show you the proper techniques to best prepare the perfect cup.
A break from the temples and sights but still a historical experience of Kyoto culture!

I love their maccha: green tea powder the best. The beautiful color and fresh smell and balanced taste. My tea ceremony teachers told me Urasenke: one of various schools of tea ceremony oiemoto: the head purchase tea here.
Top notch!

The staff was super nice and spoke really good English.
They let us try a wide range of tea. Be aware if the shop is slammed that they probably won’t have time to do tastings. Be understanding of this. Go when they first open as I have found that this is a relatively quiet time.
I found that I really like their version of genmaicha and mugicha when these are two teas I normally don’t like. Give anything they offer you a try.
Remember they do brew tasting quite strong.
The cost depends on you and what you can afford to drop here. I usually part with 10,000 yen each time I come here. I also drink tea everyday.

What a fantastic tea room! If you want tea sets or you want to try samples of some amazing loose leaf teas, this is the place to come. They have high-​end, gorgeous accessories (tea pots, kettles, cups, saucers, matcha tea sets, whisks, etc) and a big tasting room so you can try anything you’d like.
The array of teas is impressive, as is the space. Customer service is of course top-​notch as well. Truly the best tea shop you’ll find in Tokyo — I looked all over the web and was so glad to find it. Perfect for gifts for you or for loved ones.

Truly comfy, unrushed tea house. The sweet they give you perfectly complements the tea you choose. They’ll calmly instruct you on the best brewing process in decent english. Top quality matcha and other types of green.

We bought sooo much tea at Ippodo! We didn’t do any tasting or sit in the café since we had a full day ahead of us, but between the tea chart in English and the samples for smelling we were able to choose a bunch that we can’t wait to try. One staff member spoke English and had been to the opening of the New York store, which we will certainly visit soon!

In Kyoto, the hub of Japan’s finest tea, exists an extraordinary tea store named IPPODO.
Ippodo was originally established in 1717 and in 1846 was given the name Ippodo by the King as a meaning to never change the taste of their tea. 300 years of tea brewing is not something an average tea shop can imitate. I dare say I have never had real tea until today. There tea is ‘real’ tea.
I got matcha and my friend got o-​buku tea (o-​buku is only served around the new years time). The scent of the tea was overwhelming. For the first time I was tasting tea solely from the scent not the actual drink. It was as if I was drinking cognac — drunk off the scent. The o-​buku tea was something else too. The magic happened AFTER I finished taking couple sips. It was as if flowers were blooming in my mouth and I was tasting wonders.
Of course amazing tea comes with a price, but I definitely would say it was worth it. A must go in Kyoto.
P. S. they have English menus.

Thank you, Ippodo! Your tea is a work of art and your staff are knowledgeable and so welcoming. I wish Ippodo lived in my backyard… or in my country…
The staff here is phenomenal. One lady spoke very good English and was eager to teach us about the various types of tea. She took us into the tasting room and made three types for us: gyokuro (served at room temperature and had a rich but mellow taste), hojicha (roasted leaves — so tasty), and matcha (rich, almost creamy, and a vibrant green). She went over the various tea-​making techniques and gave us lots of pamphlets– in English, yay! — to take home. I hope she knows how grateful we are for her kindness and for giving us such a memorable experience.
You can pop in for five minutes, or spend almost an hour, like we did. Either way, Ippodo is definitely worth a stop if you are visiting the Kyoto area. We bought three teas and enjoyed them for several months. The taste brings me back to Japan each time. Thankfully, they have a wonderful website and I am able to order delicious Ippodo teas whenever I like, though nothing can equal the experience of visiting the shop. I can’t wait to return!