Single Estate
Asamiya, Shiga, Japan.
Single Cultivar
Native seed-grown cultivar.
Over 80 years old.
Green Tea
Pesticide-free, natural Sencha.
New Harvest
Spring 2023.
Additional information
This tea is produced in one of the oldest tea regions in Japan, in the mountains on the south side of Japan’s famous lake Biwa. The Asamiya region is particularly suited to the cultivation of fragrant, healthy, natural tea.
The high altitudes and low temperatures aid the bushes in growing strong and vital. Harvest is conducted only twice a year, and once every few years the manufacturer lowers his bushes down to the base after first harvest. This helps them to regrow healthy, fresh branches.
The only fertilisation used are natural plant based substances, some of which (straw, pampas grass, etc.) are applied to obstruct the growth of weeds. When these substances decompose they become nourishment for the bushes.
Due to the minimal amount of fertilisation the leaf grows rather thin. In addition, tea grown in mountain valleys receive less sunlight than in flat areas. These traits contribute to the production of a soft and fragile leaf, which needs to be handled with care during steaming and kneading.
The producer applies an asamushi (brief steaming) approach and takes his time to carefully kneed the tea-leaf into long needle shapes. This produces a tea that can be enjoyed throughout multiple infusions.
About the production process
- Harvest
- Fixing (steaming): Brief steaming / Asamushi
- Initial beating
- Kneading
- Agitation
- Shaping
- Drying: Regular branding.
Visit the manufacturer with me
About the manufacturer
7th heir to the Katagi family tea farm in Asamiya, Shiga prefecture. Since his father converted the farm to exclusively organic cultivation methods in 1975, the Katagi family has been producing a delicious, natural, healthy tea.
About the tea garden
Bushi-dani
武士谷
Tea farm.
Altitude 350m.
The farm is situated in the Asamiya region in Shiga prefecture. A mountainous region on the south side of the prefecture’s well renowned lake Biwa. It is one of the 5 main traditional tea manufacturing regions of Japan, and according to some it is the area in which tea cultivation happened most early in Japanese history.
Soil type:
Rock.
Direction and angle:
Southeast.
Ridge direction and shape:
Vertical rows of bushes.
About the climate
Climate:
In the valleys mist passes over the tea gardens invigorating the bushes with fresh humidity and air.
Surroundings and environmental circumstances:
Sometimes wild boars lay waste to the farm as they seek out the delicious earthworms in this natural environment.
Brewing guidelines
Suggested measurements for 1 portion.
Amount of tea
3~4g
Water temperature
90℃
Water amount
200cc
Steeping duration
40 sec
Suggested no. of infusions: [3]
Additional comments:
Gradually increase the temperature and steeping duration over successive brews.
Brew at a higher temperature to enjoy the delicious aromas of this natural tea.
Watch my introduction of this tea:
Liquid Jade Sencha Asamiya 100g
$30.00
Out of stock
Richard Panse –
Delicious flavor and a sweet aroma. I love this Sencah.
Richard Panse –
Delicious flavor and a sweet aroma. I love this Sencha. .
Stephen Govier –
Fresh aroma and vivid complexity from the first sip. And, quite convincingly, it will make you concentrate on each sip and savour the full mix of vegetal facets and tartness. After-taste less mouth-watering, but the lingering mouthfeel is full and complex. The second steep accentuates the expansive minerality, evolves and the Umami here is right up my street. The vestigial astringency a wonderful counterpart. I found myself trying to make my mouth water but quickly returned to small sips and to roll the tea around my mouth to savour the complex purity. This swishing does now produce a full-on mouth water. The Umami is felt along with that almost imperceptible note of astringency, just enough to give deepness and structure the sweet-mineral-evocative aftertaste.
It is the full body of this tea I really enjoy. Three-dimensionality with a vertical richness that penetrates deep into the throat, a plumpness in the body of the tea; And the afterglow of that abundance radiates in the aftertaste as the knife edge balance of the tea captivates and draws you into its warm embrace.
A tea and Qi with a traditional purity that would be grasped by Saichō (最澄).
Of the Sencha Jade Nos 1, 2 and 3 I’m tempted to say this is my favourite. Perhaps, poly-cha will reassert at the proper time. Suffice to say I have brewed it two days in a row.