The name is two halves. Nok — 녹 — is Korean for green. It's what we drank growing up, before we drank coffee. The character points at the tea tradition that runs through Korea and Japan as one continuous thread.

108 is the count on a Buddhist mala — one full breath, repeated until the mind quiets. It shows up in Hindu and Jain practice too, in the cardinal directions of an old Zen garden, in the number of stitches on a worn-in baseball. We took it because matcha, done right, is a ritual: one bowl, one whisk, one breath.

The combination — 녹 · 108 — is the brand in one line. Korean roots, Japanese craft, contemplative count.