Readers of the last newsletter saw a new production region added to Thés du Japon. This is indeed the first time that I have offered a Murakami tea. Since opening the physical store in Tokyo three years ago, my interest in northern teas, I mean teas from areas north compared to Tokyo has grown a lot. First naturally for Sayama (Saitama prefecture) and Sashima (Ibaraki prefecture) because it seemed essential to me to highlight these regions so close to Tokyo, and yet very largely ignored (especially in the case of Sashima), while they are dynamic and creative. From time to time, visitors to the store ask us if we have, or intend to offer one day, teas from more northern regions, such as Okukuji in northern Ibaraki (I will talk about this later), or Murakami. My gaze finally turned to Murakami, who had already been in the back of my mind for quite some time to be honest.
Murakami is a small coastal town on the Sea of Japan, located in the Niigata prefecture. While for most gourmets the mention of Niigata immediately conjures up rice of the koshi-hikari variety, for tea lovers Murakami is synonymous with Japan’s northernmost commercial tea-producing region.
The culture of tea there dates back to the 1620s, when an official of the fief of Murakami, Tokumitsu Yakakuzaemon, would have (in this kind of “story” always keep in mind that the conditional is in order) brought back tea seeds to the occasion of Ise’s pilgrimage, seeing how prosperous this culture was (another explanation relates that it would be the Lord of Murakami himself, Hori Naoyori, who brought in seeds from Uji). This culture would then have developed rapidly under the encouragement of the local government.
It was not until 1859, relatively late therefore, that the so-called Uji method, the basis of modern sencha, was introduced. (This would therefore be the manufacturing method developed in 1738 by Nagatani Sôen, but which began to spread more widely at the beginning of the 19th century, but let us understand that the manual then mechanical method which reproduces it, of modern sencha is a widely complexified version of Sôen’s method developed from the second half of the 19th century in Shizuoka)
During the Meiji era, Murakami tea experienced its most prosperous period, with 600 ha of plantations, Japanese tea being an important export product. From the First World War, Murakami’s tea only declined, and today only 25 ha of plantations remain. Nevertheless, this culture seems to be recovering. Cultivars are still relatively uncommon there, but this situation is changing, with a desire to improve quality and diversity.
Despite its northern position, Murakami records an average annual temperature of 12 ℃, just above the estimated minimum for tea cultivation. By the sea, even in the middle of winter, the temperature does not drop too often below freezing, moreover, the snowfall covering the tea plants then protects them from the extreme cold. It is because of this snowfall that the tea plants are pruned very low in Murakami, to prevent the branches from breaking under the weight of the snow.From spring to fall, there is relatively little sunshine and frequent mists, the air loaded with humidity.These are all favorable conditions for the cultivation of a quality tea, sweet and not very astringent. Murakami tea is often judged to be very round and sweet.
It is easy to understand that this is a very small production area, without wholesalers, and where we have only three tea producers. They then sell their own teas in their shop. Until a few years ago, they could also make blends with tea from other regions. I don’t know if this continues, but some may sell matcha in stores, which came obviously from Uji (there is no scam, no one is trying to pass it off as Murakami matcha). It is an interesting way to combine the function of tea producer but also of tea merchant.
So that brings me to tea of the day, a Yabukita sencha from Murakami. Although the producer has practiced a wilting, it does not seem particularly sensitive, in any case we remain within the framework of a classic sencha. The roasting is quite strong, and it is true that in the future I would like to have a greener one.
This sencha is a very typical Yabukita, particularly strong. Umami and astringency are both present, be careful not to infuse too long, as well as the temperature. With Yabu and a strong roast, the aromas that we immediately feel clearly are in the domain of dry wood and nuts, while in the background we also find notes of vanilla. The aromas evolve sometimes towards the floral, sometimes towards the fruity on the second and third infusions.
Robust, this sencha is also rich and deep, dense I would say. Although I cannot find the words, it does not lack originality either despite its apparent classicism, probably marked by its particular terroir.
This is not what I would call a grand cru, but an excellent tea for those who like rich and intense sencha at the same time. Some will enjoy it for breakfast, others will see it more as a daytime tea. But anyway, tea lovers should be delighted to discover a terroir that we do not have the opportunity to meet often.
Categories: History, Reviews, Tea producing area
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