Tea garden

WEEDY WILD TEA GARDENS – INTERVIEW WITH TOKUYA YAMAZAKI

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Tokuya’s approach to tea farming is not at all a conventional one. While he faces a lot of criticism from other farmers, he aims to stay true to his own beliefs which involve exclusively natural methods. These do not employ any pesticides or fertilizer at all. In my latest meeting with Tokuya I was able to discover more about his philosophy. In this article I present a summary of the main points of focus that he observes when cultivating his tea.

QUALITIES OF THE SOIL OF A TEA GARDEN

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Mountains are creations of nature that have taken millions of years to reach their current grandeur. Mountains are formed of layers of soil that can be traced back to different eras in history. These layers of soil are formed of a variety of soil and rock types, housing different microcosms of bacteria and little organisms that produce nourishment for vegetation and regulate how nutrition is maintained or transported in the pores of the soil.

EFFECTS OF TERROIR ON THE QUALITY OF TEA

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In similarity to wine grapes, tea bushes too are sensitive to the circumstances, the terroir of their surroundings. Weather conditions, altitude, the farms direct surroundings, soil composition, etc. are features that not only affect the taste and character of the final product, it often also imbues the tea with a distinct local trait; an individuality that only can be obtained at this specific farm.

TEA PICKING METHODS AND RELATED EQUIPMENT

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Mechanized harvesting methods require an even surface and regular pruning in order for the harvesting equipment to be effective. Just before spring, before the first shoots appear the bushes are pruned once at a set height. During harvest, the leaf that has grown above this surface; ea. the fresh spring buds, are harvested by mowing the surface at approximately the same height as during pruning.

[CASE STUDY] GROWING A NEW CULTIVAR TEA GARDEN FROM SEED

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The majority of tea gardens in Japan are cultivated from registered cultivar species. While cultivars became available to farmers during the 1960’s, most producers only began converting their tea gardens to cultivar farms from the mid-1970’s onward due the high initial cost of conversion. At Fumiaki Iwata’s tea garden in Nara, Tsukigase too, his parents …

[CASE STUDY] GROWING A NEW CULTIVAR TEA GARDEN FROM SEED Read More »

BENEFITS AND DEMERITS OF TEA CULTIVARS

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The consideration of the manufacturer is the ease of cultivation and harvest of the bushes he chooses. In addition, the consideration for the major industry is a matter of how they can develop a generic flavor in the tea.Their interest is the facilitation of mass production for a commodity with equal and predictable flavor. This flavor must just sufficiently appeal to the greater public, but nothing more.

Japanese tea cultivars

INTRODUCTION TO JAPANESE TEA PLANT VARIETIES: CULTIVARS

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In 1953 the Japanese tea cultivar registration system, administered by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), was established and tea plant varieties were for the first time officially recognized and listed for proper nation wide use. In the 1960s the government developed and established a pragmatic standard for reproducing cultivars from cuttings, and …

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WHAT DO YOU PERCEIVE AS THE TRADITIONAL LANDSCAPE OF TEA PRODUCTION?

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As an exercise, please take in mind that heavy machinery only became employed some 50+ years ago, but that the production of tea has already been part of Japan’s agriculture for centuries. Now, I would like you to use your imagination. What does a traditional tea farm look like? Try to draw a picture of …

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