It has been a few years now that I have been working with particular passion on Umegashima teas. This is one of the so-called Hon.yama tea production areas (the mountain region north of Shizuoka city), the most upstream along the… Read More ›
Hon.yama
2021 Shincha VII
The second harvests are already finished in some producing regions, so that still to evoke in this period as “shincha” the first harvests in 2021 can seem odd. However, in the mountain areas in Shizuoka for example, it has not… Read More ›
Benifûki, THE Japanese black tea cultivar
The release on Aozuru-chaho – Thés-du-Japon of two new very different Benifûki cultivar teas, since it is a black tea and a sencha, is an opportunity to discuss again about this great cultivar. I write “great” cultivar because we must… Read More ›
Benifûki sencha from Hon.yama
After the mystery cultivar kama-iri from Fujieda, the two Musashi-kaori from Sayama and Hon.yama, I continue on an unusual tea, once again from Hon.yama, a Benifûki sencha. Benifûki, like all cultivars whose name contains “beni”, is a variety intended for… Read More ›
Sayama & Hon.yama, two Musashi kaori sencha
Comparing two different teas, different regions, different producers, made from the same cultivar is always very interesting. This is all the more so for the informed connoisseur when it is a very rare tea tree variety like Musashi-kaori. I propose… Read More ›
Two Yabukita from Umegashima
Here’s two sencha already online for some time, two sencha that may seem quite similar but yet quite different. These are two Yabukita from Umegashima (one of the area of the so-called Hon.yama tea growing region, north of Shizuoka, along… Read More ›
Zairai varieties sencha from Umegashima
This is the third year that I propose this “zairai” tea from Umegashima, which has evolved each time to get closer to a certain “ideal”, or simply say a real good sencha. Let us first recall what the term “zairai-shu”… Read More ›
Zairai native plants & Yabukita senchas from Umegashima
Last year, I proposed a sencha from Umegashima (Nyûshima area, more exactly) from Hon.yama, Shizuoka, from an old “zairai” indigenous varieties tea plantation. It was a tea harvested very late, almost a bancha, with a very strong roasting. Indeed, “zairai”… Read More ›
Two kanaya-midori cultivar wulong from Morokozawa, fired and non-fired types
In Morokozawa, in the Shizuoka mountain tea production area called Hon.yama, Satô Hiromitsu is known for its Kogane-midori cultivar with its golden color leaves. It is also one of the few Japanese producers making really excellent wulong tea. For these… Read More ›
Yabukita cultivar Sencha from Tamakawa
I just launched on Thés du Japon the latest news. Among these novelties, here is a sencha from Tamakawa (Hon.yama, Shizuoka) Yabukita cultivar. Who says Tamakawa on Thés du Japon says teas from the Tsukiji estate. Since Mr. Tsukiji Katsumi… Read More ›
Kôju, a unique semi-fermented tea from Hon.yama
Even before the start of Thés du Japon, I had already presented on the French version of the blog “Kôju“, this outstanding cultivar (unregistered) selected by the producer from Hon.yama, Takahashi Tatsuji from a “zarai” tea plant (tea plants reproduced… Read More ›
An intoxicating fragrance: two Shizu-7132 cultivar from Hon.yama
” 7132 ”, for those who are very familiar with the Japanese tea, here are four digits like a promise of a unique and surprising tea fragrance. More exactly ”Shizu-7132” designates cultivar No. 7132 developed at the research center on… Read More ›
Shizuoka 2015, Tamakawa Kôshun
After presenting Tôbettô, the Yamakai and Sôfû cultivars from Tsukiji Estate in Tamakawa, here, finally, the Kôshun cultivar. From a mechanical harvesting, it is a little more “reasonable”, but still remains a great Sencha. This is actually the 4th Kôshun… Read More ›
Shizuoka 2015, Ôkawa-Ôma
I jump from Tamakawa, the confluence of the Abe River, to Ôkawa further south, on the slopes of the river Warashina. Rather, the sencha I present today is from Ôma, upstream rather isolated area 720 m above sea level. It… Read More ›
Shizuoka, Tamakawa 2015, Sôfû & Yamakai cultivars
After talking about the incredible Tôbettô, pinnacle of Tsukiji Estate teas in Tamakawa (in area known as Hon.yama in Shizuoka) now produced by young Mr. Kosugi, I will present the following two sencha from this Estate, the Sôfû蒼風 and Yamakai… Read More ›
Japanese Tea Sommelier 