Shohokuen has been making tea at Kohata in Uji since 1645, on what was then the main road between Nara and Kyoto. Kohata is where tea manufacture in Japan is said to have started.

In 1915, for the enthronement celebration of Emperor Taishō, the most esteemed products from across Japan were selected to be served at the imperial court. Shohokuen tea was one of them. That kind of selection happens once and the honor stays with the house afterwards, which in Japan carries more weight than any label a European tea shop can print on a pouch.