Description
Yutakamidori Sencha - 2025 Shincha (New Harvest Tea). Naturally grown with no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.
Origin: Minamikyushu*, Kagoshima Prefecture.
Cultivar: Yutakamidori
*Minamikyushu was formed just in 2007 by the merging of the three smaller towns of Chiran, Ei, and Kawanabe. It's notable that these three nearby towns were powerhouse tea producers on their own, and among the most well-known among Kagoshima teas. While now under the Minamikyushu municipality, locally, teas formerly from Chiran will still be called "Chiran-cha", teas from Ei, "Ei-cha", etc. for some time to come.
This Yutakamidori sencha infuses to a medium golden-green with a light grassy aroma and medium body. It has a light flavor, but is well-balanced of amami (sweetness) and shibumi (astringency). By about the third infusion, the astringency becomes a little more noticeable in the finish, a characteristic of many good Japanese teas.
As mentioned above, Minamikyushu (South Kyushu City) is a recently formed city from the merger of three smaller tea-growing towns. This made it one of the top tea producing cities in Japan. It was part of Satsuma Province during the Edo Period, and now makes up a good portion of the Satsuma Peninsula. The coastline of Minamikyushu faces south into the East China Sea.