Going from the tea leaves to the actual final tea product seems quite an easy task, but it is a truly complex series of processes with many variables that only a deep knowledge of the land and weather can yield the best results.
The region where our tea production is located has an ideal climate with the right amount of wind and humidity during the most important seasons. Humidity is an important feature for the tea leaves, and while we always depend on the weather, the Hoshino area in Yame is famous .
Yame – Japan
The beautiful Yame valley
Yame Japan
The beautiful Yame valley
We grow different cultivars for different tea types : From Gyokuro, to Kabusecha and Sencha. While all teas come from the same plant “Camellia sinensis” there hundreds, if not thousands of different cultivars.
So, this means that any of the above mentioned tea type will have a different process depending on the desired final product, but also because of its cultivar, the location of the fields and of course the personal taste expectation of the farmer.
There are several harvest during the year, the first tea leaves picking is the most important as it is the best one, the first flush or “Shincha” which is praised all over Japan. Depending on the region, this first picking may occur as early as March. In the Yame region, usually this happens around mid may. It’s a short period where you must be aware of the leaves maturity on each different crop and basically work 18 hours a day.
A new tea field, it will take a couple of years before the plants arrive at their maturity. I am looking forward to present you this new product in the future !!