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High Grade Green Tea
What makes the finest Japanese Green Tea?
Where is high grade green tea produced in Japan?
High grade green tea is produced in several areas of Japan. These areas are all located south of Tokyo on the main island of Honshu.
These areas include Shizuoka, Uji (Kyoto), Kagoshima and Fukuoka.These areas offer the right balance of conditions for tea-growing.
Often tea plantations in these areas are located near rivers or streams, where the the soil is well drained, and where there is a lot of mist in the mornings and evenings. There are also less hours of intense sunlight, which results in a mild, astringent flavour.
How is high grade green tea different from other grades?
Premium grade green tea such as
gyokuro
and
tencha - matcha tea
are covered two or three weeks prior to picking with reed screens or straw mats. This protects the leaves from intense sunlight, and produces a sweeter less astringent taste in the leaves.
The leaves are also substantially darker than other grades of green tea, which makes it easier to distinguish premium grade green teas from other grades of green tea.
Other grades of green tea are grown in full sunlight, and will tend to have a more astringent flavour.
(SIDE NOTE- Matcha differs from gyokuro in that the leaves are not rolled. After steaming, they are dried, after which they are called tencha. Tencha is then ground into a fine powder called matcha.)
How and when is premium grade green tea harvested?
Green tea harvesting is decided by the area where the tea plantations are located. Harvesting begins in warmer areas as early as February and in other areas including Shizuoka, the first harvest is usually in May.
Green tea from the first harvest is called shin-cha: In Japanese, "shin" means new and "cha" means tea. Shincha literally means "new tea". Shincha, is only sold from May to July and is characteristically aromatic and has a sweet and mild flavour.
Because it is quite perishable, only a very small percentage of the tea harvest is processed as shincha; most of the leaves are used for sencha.
The most highly-prized part of the green tea plant are the two youngest leaves as well as the bud of the tea plant.This part of the bush produces a sweet and mild, astringent flavour characteristic of premium grade green tea.
Other grades of green tea will be produced from the second and third (sometimes fourth) harvesting which take place from June-August.
Experience a rare indulgence - buy premium grade Japanese Green Tea here.
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