#0485.M3 Miyazaki Sabou MY05: Naturally Grown Kamairicha Green Tea - Takachiho Single Cultivar

A takachiho single cultivar kamairicha green tea coming from the award-winning Miyazaki Sabou Tea Garden. The takachiho is a unique cultivar in that it is a cultivar that was specifically developed for kamairicha. In fact, the cultivar was named Takachiho after the town in Miyazaki prefecture (which is a famous kamairicha producing region). This cultivar, when made into a kamairicha gives presence to a golden liquor with little astringency and a pleasing aftertaste. This is a kamairicha coming from the award-winning Miyazaki Sabou Tea Garden who specializes in pan-fired green tea (kamairicha), as well as oolong tea, and black tea. 

Flavor

This kamairicha has a gently toasty flavor, reminiscent of freshly toasted chestnuts. This comforting toasty note pairs well with the vegetal green notes of the tea. The flavor is balanced, and the mouth feel light and round, making the tea very pleasant and easy to drink to. The nuanced and warm flavor makes the tea a soothing yet refreshing drink for any time of the day.

What is a kamairicha?

Kamairicha is a centuries-old traditional Japanese green tea which is made by heating the leaves in a pan instead of the typical steaming process that senchas go through. It is the common method of producing Chinese green tea, but is quite rare today in Japan. Rather than producing the typical round pellet shape associated with gunpowder tea, the Japanese method gives the shape of a comma (i.e., the punctuation mark). In general, kamairicha is well known as a traditional folk tea from Southern Japan and is now predominantly cultivated by small-scale family farms in remote mountain areas such as Takachiho and Gokase (certified as a World Agricultural site in 2015), Miyazaki prefecture where Miyazaki Sabou Tea Garden is located. Kamairichas can be a nice change from the senchas one may be used to with the pleasant scent of roasted chestnuts. A kamairicha produced by the Miyazaki Sabou Tea Garden is sure to be a high quality tea worth trying!

Product Information

• Ingredients: Green tea, Kamairicha
• Cultivar: Takachiho
• Harvest: Spring
• Region: Miyazaki Prefecture

An Award Winning Farm

Among the many awards that the Miyazaki Sabou Tea Garden has won for their tea, the single greatest honor has been the Emperor’s Cup award in 2002. The Emperor’s cup is give once a year to seven winners chosen from among the 400-500 winners of the previous year’s Minister’s Awards in the various fields of agriculture in Japan. To win, a tea farmer not only needs to be top in his own field of tea, but must compete with farms as well as agricultural producers in other fields.