Description
Miyazaki Sankai Roji Sencha
Sankai Sencha is a finely pigmented chumushi (medium-steamed) sencha from the first harvest of the year, made entirely from the Yamakai variety of the tea plant. This rare variety of the tea plant, whose name (Yamakai = mountain gorge) was inspired by its colour, resembling wild tea growing in the mountains. It is a natural cross of the popular Yabukita variety and is renowned for its refreshingly mild, slightly sweet flavour.
Sankai Sencha is produced by Naoki and Misa Kamimizu and their family. They bought the tea garden in Miyazaki Prefecture in 2022 from an existing organic farm. The tea garden, which consists of several plots totalling approximately 6.6 hectares, offers a varied landscape with some fields overlooking the plains to the Pacific Ocean and others overlooking lush green mountain landscapes with small village settlements.The Kamimizu family carry out all the processing steps themselves, from cultivation to final production, and will be able to offer their teas to tea lovers in Europe for the first time in 2023.
The Yamakai variety of the tea plant is rare and quite different from other Japanese teas. It has moderate umamai and very little astringency. When grown in full sun, as is the case with Sankai Sencha, it produces a light and refreshing tea with subtle citrus notes and lingering fruity flavours. Sankai Sencha is a very well-rounded tea and a nice alternative to our other “everyday” (unpackaged) Marimo Sencha.
Sencha is traditionally grown in full daylight. Recently, however, producers have begun to apply the same shading practices to Sencha as they do to Kabusecha. It is therefore necessary to distinguish between unshaded “roji” sencha and shaded sencha (kabuse sencha). Growing the bushes in full daylight allows the sunlight to stimulate photosynthesis in the leaf, which in turn produces more catechins and makes the tea leaf more bitter with a clearer finish.
Harvested
May 2023Origin
Miyazaki, JapanBody
MediumFlavours
Citrus, with fruity notesTemperature
60 - 65°CTime
1 MinInfusions
1 - 3From controlled organic cultivation