Sencha Aged Uji-zairai (Kyoto) 50 g

In persuit of the original taste of the first sencha in our history.

はじまりの煎茶を求めて

The first sencha of Japanese history was born in Yuyadani (湯屋谷), where the mountain wind constantly blows into the valley. More than 300 years later, a young tea farmer revived the taste of this original tea, the highly fragrant, rich-flavored sencha loved by the people of that time as "Tenka-ichi (天下一)" — the best tea of the entire country.

18.00 €

excluding shipping cost

In stock

TORIDORI TEA DATA FILE

Catalog no. TEA08. Sencha Aged Uji Zairai (Kyoto)

Origin
Ujitawara, Kyoto, Japan.

Cultivar
Uji zairai (宇治在来, meaning "indigenous from Uji") , seed-grown.

Harvest
05/2023, machine-picked.

Process
Green tea, steemed (煎茶 sencha). Aged at 4°C at a nitrogen-infused condition.

Cultivation
Plants grown on the humus-rich soils at the steep slope of Ninotani (二ノ谷). Fertilized solely with local grass straws (Miscanthus sinensis, or "hotoro (ホトロ)" in the local dialect). No chemical fertilizers. No agrochemicals.

Tasting memo
Light to medium body with juicy mouthfeel. Deep, rich flavors with mineral and herbal notes. Delicate bitterness and natural sweetness with distinctive aroma of grass straws, called "hotoro-ka (ホトロ香, meaning "silvergrass scent")" in the local dialect.

Brewing guide
[Japanese] 4-5 g/200 ml, 75-80°C 40 sec (1st), 80-85°C 5-10 sec (2nd-).
4-6 infusions possible.
[Western] 2-3 g/300 ml, 80-85°C 2-3 min.

Tips for this tea
This tea has very wide range of tastes depending on the brewing temperature. At the higher temperature (85-95°C) the grapefruit-like bitterness and astringency stands out, and at the lower temperature (75-80°C) you can enjoy rich flavors and sweetness with the distinctive grass-straw aroma ("ホトロ香 hotoro-ka").

Producer of this tea:

Joshu Yutani Yamaguchi Seichasho

城州ゆたに山口製茶処

Joshu Yutani Yamaguchi Seichasho is located deep in the windy valley of Yuyadani (湯屋谷), in the mountains of southern Kyoto. About 300 years ago, the first Japanese sencha (steemed green tea) was born in this valley.

Back then, the sencha from this valley was highly fragrant and had a distinctive aroma of silvergrass straws called "hotoro-ka (ホトロ香)" in their local dialect. This was the taste of their land, and this was highly appreciated by the people of all over Japan. Centuries later, their teas have lost this special aroma in exchange for the strong umami, which became more prefered in the current Japan.

In persuit of the original taste of the sencha of this valley.

はじまりの煎茶を目指して

With his passion and determination, Mr. Tatsuhiko Yamaguchi is reviving the taste of the original sencha of this valley, with the fragrant "ホトロ香 hotoro-ka". At his farms spreading throughout the valley, the tea plants are growing on the traditional silvergrass ("ホトロ hotoro") mulching, solely using the plants he collects every year from the nearby grass fields. Most of his plants are Uji-zairai (宇治在来), the indigenous tea plants the people of Yuyadani have passed on generations to generations. Some plants are over 100 years old, telling us the long history of the tea culture of this land.

With his hand, the terroir of Yuyadani is slowly, but steadily coming back to our time.