Yamato Tea, a nationally renowned tea brand

The history of Yamato tea dates back to 806, when Kobo Daishi brought back tea seeds from Tang Dynasty China, planted them in Uda, Nara Prefecture, and introduced the tea manufacturing method. Later, tea spread to temples, the tea ceremony culture flourished, and tea cultivation became even more prosperous. Yamato tea has now become a nationally renowned brand, and is even served at five-star hotels in Tokyo and in first-class airliners. The Uekubo Tea Farm is located in Momogano, Tsukigase-mura, Nara City, about 30 minutes by car from the city, in the mountains at an altitude of 400 meters. The vast tea fields sloping down from the small mountain are a refreshing contrast to the blue sky. The charm of the tea produced in Tsukigase is that it is sweet and beautifully colored. The tea leaves themselves are beautifully green, and the light green color of the tea itself is also beautiful. The taste is similar to that of gyokuro. These are made possible by the high quality mineral-rich soil, water source, and steep terrain. The tea leaves retain their natural umami and sweetness due to the extreme temperature differences. Early in the morning on sunny, cool days in spring and fall, a sea of clouds spreads over the area, creating a spectacular view. The fantastic sea of clouds provides a natural “cover” for the tea leaves, giving them a flavor similar to gyokuro.

Junichi Kamikubo, the third president of Kamikubo Tea En, received the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Award, the highest award at the National Handmade Tea Fair in 2017. He is the first tea master in the Kansai region to be awarded the title of “Tea Saint,” which is given to the winner of this award. Hand-moiling tea is a common practice before the introduction of tea machines, and can be said to be the origin of tea production. Tea making machines have been developed based on this hand-moiling technique, and the machines perform the steaming, rubbing, and drying processes. All processes of hand-kneaded tea are done by hand, and the finished product is as long, thin, glossy, and beautiful as a needle. Compared to machine-made teas, which are broken when they float in hot water, hand-momi-cha is characterized by its ability to return to the original form of tea leaves. This tea is widely acclaimed both in Japan and abroad for its artistic quality.

Dreaming of creating a space to touch tea

Mr. Kamikubo did not originally intend to take over his family’s tea business, but he had a strong interest in plants from an early age and wanted to work with plants. He decided to study tea professionally and chose to study at a tea research institute in Shizuoka. There, he met his mentor, who told him that if he was going to spend the rest of his life doing anything, he should acquire the skills to be the best at it and return home, so he decided to study hand-pulling tea. By the end of his two years of study, he was completely absorbed in the world of te-momi tea. The “hand-momi-cha” that Mr. Kamikubo makes depends on a variety of factors, including weather conditions, technique, intuition, his own physical condition on the day, and the growth of the tea leaves. He must be unselfish and not overbearing in his efforts to produce a good product. Otherwise, it is impossible to make a good quality handmade tea.

The process of hand-pulling tea is divided into nine steps. First, carefully selected tea leaves are steamed, and then the steamed tea leaves are handled on a roasting furnace to remove water. Then, the tea leaves are rubbed so as to twist the stems, and gradually kneaded into a tea dumpling with full body strength. Next, the tea leaves are untied one by one and twisted to form a spindle shape. This “firigiri” process is said to be the most difficult. The tea leaves are then rubbed so that they form a wire-like shape. Finally, the tea leaves are shaped and dried.
These processes take six to eight hours, but in Mr. Kamikubo’s hands, the tea is as beautiful as if it were flowing. His artistic technique produces a tea that is as straight and shiny as a needle. Because of the time and effort required to make the tea by hand, even Mr. Kamikubo can only produce 400 grams of tea per year. Tea is a living thing, and so is the person who handles it. It is only a person who can read the heart of the tea leaves, which cannot be read by machines, and it is only because he or she puts his or her heart and soul into it, with the sole intention of delivering a good product to the drinker, that the tea is a gem. Therefore, it cannot be produced in large quantities, but its taste, aroma, and flavor are truly exceptional and can only be produced by hand.
We would like to set up a tea park here, where people can try hand-pulling and tasting tea. We would like to create a tea park here, where people can experience tea by hand and taste the tea. I would be happy if people come here to see, feel, and taste the tea and fall in love with Yamato tea. Mr. Kamikubo smiles as he aims to complete the tea park. I am looking forward to spending a relaxing time with Yamato tea while feeling the scenery and air of Tsukigase.

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Blissful tea time in a “tea room without a roof

The specialty of Ureshino City in Saga Prefecture is Ureshino tea. It is said that tea cultivation techniques were introduced from China during the Muromachi period and began in this region. In early May, just as the harvest begins, visiting Ureshino reveals steam rising from many tea factories, and the fragrant aroma of tea fills the air throughout the town. Typically, tea is produced by farmers who grow the tea leaves, and wholesalers who process and sell the product. However, Soejimaen handles everything from cultivation to sales in-house.

“Ureshino is known for its steamed green tea, which has its roots in kamairicha (pan-fired tea). It is also called guri-cha, meaning ‘tea balls,’ because it looks like balls.”

The fourth-generation owner, Hitoshi Soejima, has been committed to pesticide-free and reduced-pesticide cultivation with an eye on the future of Ureshino tea. He handles everything from packaging design to sales, expanding distribution nationwide.

“Since my father’s generation, we have reduced our cultivation area to focus on pesticide-free and reduced-pesticide farming, and we sell directly to customers to ensure safe and secure tea. Our tea is now used in famous ryokan (traditional inns), and the number of fans is growing.”

Tea house without a roof

Walking through a tea field where harvesting has just begun. From the slopes of the hilltop field at Soejimaen, you can see the town of Ureshino. It was the 88th night of spring, a day when it is said that drinking tea picked on this day will bring good health. The Soejima family was busy picking tea leaves by hand.

“Here, we not only grow green tea but also experiment with black tea. We want to preserve tea culture by trying various things,”

Mr. Fukushima explained as he led me to a “roofless tea house” built in the center of the highest tea field. Under the clear blue sky, I enjoyed the new tea while being gently caressed by the refreshing breeze. The first tea served was warm tea poured into small cups. It was rich in umami and sweetness, with no bitterness or astringency. The second cup was cold tea steeped overnight. Served in a champagne flute, it had a refreshing sweetness. The flavor was deep, and the color was vibrant. It was completely different from the bottled tea sold at convenience stores.

“Tea is a drink whose delicate flavor varies depending on the variety, production method, and how it is brewed. But even though it is as familiar as sake, if not more so, most people don’t know much about it. I want to learn more about Japanese tea.”

The best tea time spent in a “roofless tea room.” Nakata also rediscovered the true power of Japanese tea.

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A pale color with deep taste

Shizuoka is known for being a tea producing area, but within Shizuoka, the most famous green tea producing town is Kawane Honcho. Located in the Midwest of Shizuoka prefecture, it is located in an area where the Oi River flows. When we arrived at Takada farm, they treated us to green tea right away. We noticed the color was a bit pale.
”Everybody who comes to interview us are surprised. Looks like the tea leaves are spent, right?” Takada’s wife laughed.
”First, please take a sip.” Yoshio Takada asked us, and we took a sip.

The tea had a strong and deep taste and aroma, making Nakata exclaim ”Oh!”. And there is a sweet aftertaste which lingers. It is strange because the color is so pale. When tea leaves are picked early, even before ”ichibancha”, they are pale but have a strong delicious taste, they told us.

Commitment to tea production

Among the Kawane teas, the most famous is ”sencha”. Takada Farm, has won numerous awards including the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award in national tea contests. About 14 years ago, they started making half fermented ”kettle roasted tea” close to oolong tea. A product called ”Kaorikko”, which is a packaged set of the kettle roasted tea ”Koshun” and ”Benifuki” sold together, was awarded the highest gold medal in the World Green Tea Contest held in 2010.

”What is the most important thing in making the best tea?”
”To carry out each task carefully and precisely. If we become careless, that is reflected in the tea, so we should make sure that we manage each technique properly.” Takada told us.

Takada Farm has their own farmland and produce their own products. That is, they cultivate their own tea leaves and perform all of the manufacturing processes such as roasting themselves. That is why they cannot mass produce. But because of that, they are able to stick to their philosophy, and conduct extensive research. Delicate sensitivity is needed to do this job since the slightest difference in the variety of the tea leaves and dryness affect the taste and smell of the tea. When asked what kind of tea they are aiming for, Takada answered, ”Tea that is so delicious that people want a second cup.”

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Hatsukura, the land optimal for Yabukita tea

”I did not think that there would be tea fields here.” Nakata said, after he got out of the car. Certainly, one imagines terraced fields on the skirts of a mountain when it comes to tea fields. A typical image would be a woman with tucked up kimono sleeves picking tea leaves with a tasuki, putting them into a bamboo basket in her arm. But we were in a wide open plain along the Oi River. Rather than looking up at the mountains, we were overlooking a wide field of green.

It was a refreshing landscape of tea fields. ”This land is suitable for Yabukita.” Sumio Tsukamoto, the leader of Hatsukura Old and New Tea Leaves Agricultural Coop told us. The water from the Oi River and the soil of Hatsukura draws out the more subtle, deep sweetness of Yabukita tea. Tea leaves from various size tea farmers are gathered at Old and New Tea Coop once they are picked. Those tea leaves are then blended, refined and shipped as tea.

Making tea that always tastes the same

”Wouldn’t that mix the different smells and flavors?”, Nakata asked. Tsukamoto responded ”Actually, it balances out the unevenness.”
”Even a small difference in soil or water makes a difference in taste. If the leaves are cultivated on different farms, the soil may be different from one field to another. Also, if the picking days are different, it tastes different. So issues like ”today’s tea is different from yesterday’s tea”.”

At this agricultural cooperative, everything such as fertilizer is consistently managed by one organization to minimize the disparity among the farmers. Furthermore, the quality of tea leaves that were delivered is inspected, and the most appropriate blend is determined to achieve ”the usual taste”. This allows us to enjoy tea that has a consistent taste and aroma. It makes customers say, ”I want to drink that tea again.”

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Good tea leaves make delicious milk tea

”If the tea doesn’t taste good, the taste of milk would overwhelm it.”
As he said this, Matsumura served us ”Benifuki” milk tea which is ”one of the best tea from Maruko Tea”, according to him.
We sipped the tea. We can smell the strong aroma of the tea within in the sweetness of the milk, and the scent passes through our nostrils. Even Nakata, who does not usually drink milk tea, quickly finished off his cup.

Maruko Tea produces pure domestic tea leaves.
Perhaps English black tea is most famous with the world renowned brand ”Lipton”, and areas such as Ceylon and Assam in India are known for producing the tea leaves. Black tea produced in Japan might not be familiar.

Committed to creating purely domestic black tea

The production of black tea leaves in Japan started when a man named Genkichi Tada brought the original Assam tea tree to Japan at the beginning of the Meiji era. Genkichi was already producing tea in Maruko, so he started black tea production from there.
The effort came to fruition as he succeeded in exporting black tea, and it started to be grown all over Japan.
However, with the turmoil of World War II and the liberalization of black tea import after the war, domestic production of black tea declined, and the Assam trees in Maruko almost disappeared. It was at that time when Niroku Muramatsu who served us the milk tea, took up the effort to protect the original Assam tree and restarted the domestic production of black tea.

Muramatsu flew to Sri Lanka many times. He learned about the technology for more than 10 years from 1989, and finally reached the present form of Maruko Tea.
He succeeded in obliterating the impression that Japanese black tea was too light in color and had a weak taste by developing a tea with a strong and deep flavor and aroma.
There are three types of teas; ”Benifuki”,”Benihikari” and ”Honyama”. Among those, ”Benifuki” is rather expensive, but the black tea connoisseurs remark consider it to be quite exquisite, placing a lot of faith in its taste and quality.

Expanding pure domestic black tea

Muramatsu flies all over Japan in order to spread the technology he acquired, and holds presentations and instructs other producers about the technology.

”Our president does not keep the technology a secret. Instead, he teaches it to everyone.”, one of the employees told us. The original tree which he continues to protect, and many years he spent on research, has been utilized in many regions to create an even better tasting Japanese black tea.

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How tea leaves become refined tea leaves

Shoji Mochizuki is a green tea farmer who performs all the steps involved in tea manufacturing at his farm, from cultivation to processing.
The most popular product is ”Sakura Kaori”. It is a superb product with a soft aroma like cherry leaves.

Many steps are required before the tea leaves from the field can be used to make tea. After being picked from the fields, the leaves are steamed. When the raw leaves are steamed, it stops the oxidation process, preventing the leaves from fermenting.

After that, the leaves are put through primary and secondary tea drying rollers, and then the final tea drying roller. The temperature of the leaves must be kept at about the same as body temperature in humans. The rolling gradually brings the moisture to the surface, and being careful not to let the leaves become too dry, the leaves are dried with light air for about 4 hours. There is a distinct difference in the shape, color, taste and scent depending on who handles the process to this point.

The tea praised by the team master, Fumio Maeda

Finally, the leaves are put into a dryer and adjust until only about 5% of the moisture remains. If the temperature is too high, it will smell smoky, so great care needs to be given. The leaves are then sorted and blended for the final product.
”The quality of the raw tea leaves determines the quality of the tea. You cannot make dried tea leaves better than they were in their original state. This means the raw leaves must have the highest quality possible. The next important thing is to process the leaves so that the quality is maintained, while also extracting its features.” Mochizuki told us.

Then Mochizuki showed Nakata a type of unprocessed tea called ”aracha”.
”Aracha” is the raw tea leaves that has been rolled and dried, before it is roasted.
Mochizuki’s ”aracha” had made an impression on the tea master, Fumio Maeda, who had introduced us to Mochizuki. His comments were ”It’s truly splendid. I had never seen ”aracha” where each tea leaf stretched out so evenly.”
Nakata took some in his palm and put them in his mouth. ”It’s good. Savory. There is a firm taste.”
When we made it into tea tried it, it had very mild taste.

”Roasting is when the wholesalers look at the leaves, and they try to make each batch of leaves special by deciding, for example, it should be roasted with stronger heat. But you can make good cup of tea with aracha too.” explained Mochizuki.

Mochizuki’s aracha make a yellowish colored tea called ”golden transparent (Kanshoku Tomei)”.
The raw tea tastes different from tea we usually drink.
One hardly come across an aracha in the market. This was a precious experience.

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Establishing the standard for ”supreme” quality

”Kikicha” determines the variety, origin and quality of tea leaves by looking at the color or the shape of the tea leaves and examining the color, aroma and the taste of the tea.
Fumio Maeda is known as the ”kikicha” master among all tea masters.
After being in the tea business for only 2 years, he entered a national contest for the National Tea Technology Competition. He placed 10th place in his first competition, earning ”rokudan” (6th level) certification. At the competition held in 1997, his performance earned him a score that would place him above the highest existing rank of ”kyudan” (9th level). An emergency meeting of the council was held where they established a new ”judan” (10th level). It is now said that ”judan” was created just for Maeda.

When we visited Maeda’s company, they served us cold green tea.
”I really prefer green tea these days.” Nakata commented.
We learned the basics about tea, which is such a familiar part of our lives, yet we knew so little about it.

”Blending” to make better tea

There are green tea blends. This technique is called ”gogumi”.
By blending several kinds of tea leaves, the aroma, sweetness, bitterness and astringency can be balanced, bringing out a deeper flavor. The leaves are blended to make better tasting tea.
Maeda specializes in this. He blends using his ability to differentiate aroma, and his extensive knowledge about tea.

Maeda asked Nakata to try, and Nakata accepted the challenge.
Combining tea leaves from Miyazaki, Kochi and Shizuoka to make 100g of blended tea. Each tea has a clearly distinct taste.
The result is ”an aromatic tea with impact”, according to Maeda.
”This is interesting. And it’s quite good too.” Maeda said, but Nakata admitted ruefully, ”I wanted it to be little milder.

The best balance of bitterness, astringency, sweetness and aroma is at 70 degrees

At the end Nakata asked, ”How do you brew a delicious pot of tea?”
Maeda said, ”70 degrees is the best temperature to drink tea. 70 degrees is where bitterness, astringency, sweetness and aroma harmonize.”
”However, there are individual preferences. It’s best for people to find their own temperature, as well as the amount of tea leaves that they like.”

Tea is a Shizuoka specialty, but It’s also produced in various parts of Japan, each with its own uniqueness.
This also is one of the big attractions of Japan. The visit inspired us to treasure each pot of tea we brewed.

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Restoring tea farms at birthplace of Yamato tea

Kazuto Hazama and Kenichi Igawa, both of whom work at the ”Kenichi Shinzen Nouen”, are 2 people Nakata coincidentally ran into at ”Akame Natural Farming School” when he was visiting Mie. They had been attending the school to learn about natural farming. Igawa works to restore the abandoned tea farms in Nara by natural methods. This roused Hazama’s interest, and soon he left his job to join him.
Kenichi Nouen is located in the Yamato planes northeast of Nara. In 2005, the location was renamed and was transferred to become a part of Nara, but before this, the area was called Tsuge and was a popular district for Yamato tea. The altitude is 400 m – 500 m above sea level, causing heavy snow during the winter, and thus is referred to as the ”Hokkaido of Yamato”. The temperature difference between night and day is great, which is ideal for tea cultivation.

No Excess Labor

What the two are trying to do is to restore this farmland with the help of nature. They have been successful to an extent that now harvest can be expected in a couple of areas.
Their policy is leaving it to the hands of nature, not putting in excess labor. They will trim the shrubs if they grew too much and cover the tea, but otherwise, they cultivate the tea leaves without doing much else. Nara’s production of tea ranks 6th in the country. It is a city that had traditionally been very close to Buddhism and tea. In Nara, the two youths are successfully restoring tea farms with the aid of nature.

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