Organic Japanese Sencha Green Tea, 50g, Uji, Kyoto

Organic Sencha (Green Tea): Ujitawara, Kyoto

Ujitawara is a small tea town in a mountain valley in Kyoto Prefecture, about 250 metres above sea level, where morning mist and big swings between day and night temperatures suit the tea plant. It is the birthplace of Japanese green tea: in 1738 a tea farmer from the town, Nagatani Sōen, developed the steaming and rolling method that created modern sencha, now Japan's most widely drunk green tea.

This sencha comes from the same certified organic family farm in Ujitawara that grows our Kyoto matcha. The family has farmed tea there since 1858, the whole farm has been organic since 1982, and the leaf is grown without agricultural chemicals or synthetic fertiliser. The JAS organic mark is printed on the pouch.

It is shincha, the first picking of the season, harvested from mid-May when the new growth is at its most tender. Expect a mellow, gentle sweetness, a fresh new-season scent, and a clear golden-green cup. Brew it with cooler water than you might expect: hot water pulls out the astringent tannins, and 60°C lets the sweetness through.

If you already drink our Kagoshima sencha, this is the other half of the story. Kagoshima is deep-steamed and bright green in the cup, grown on volcanic soil in southern Japan. Kyoto is clear and golden-green, from the town where modern sencha began. Both are first harvest, both are certified organic, and they are good side by side.

Cultivar: Yabukita
Origin: Ujitawara, Kyoto, Japan
Ingredients: 100% Organic Japanese Green Tea
Net Weight: 50g

How to Brew Tea (Hot)

Important: Always bring fresh water to a full boil first, then allow it to cool to the recommended temperature before brewing.

1. Add 6g of tea leaves to a kyusu or teapot.
2. Pour 150ml of water cooled to 60°C.
3. Steep for 90 seconds.
4. Pour out completely, down to the last drop, a little into each cup in turn so every cup is the same strength.

That makes three small cups. For later infusions, steep briefly and raise the water temperature a little each time. It can be brewed up to three or four times. A kyusu teapot and a yuzamashi make both steps easier.

How to Brew Tea (Cold)

Put 10g of leaf into 1 litre of chilled filtered water and leave it in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours. Cold water takes the sweetness and leaves most of the bitterness behind, so the result is smooth and very easy to drink.

Curious where this tea comes from? Read the history of Japanese tea.

Authentic Japanese organic sencha, bought direct from the farm that grows it. Free shipping across Australia on orders over $100, and we ship worldwide.