ORIG IN SP OTLIG HT - JAPAN Devoted artisans pursuing perfection of their craft.
While emerald green tea gardens cover the landscapes of central and southern Japan today, Camellia sinensis is not originally native to the island nation. Japanese Zen buddhist monks first learned about tea during travels to China in the ninth century. In 1191, the monk Eisai changed the history of green tea forever when he brought seeds back to Kyoto and cultivated the first tea trees in Japan. Monks were, in essence, the earliest tea farmers in Japan. They planted tea tree gardens on monastery grounds and produced the rustic style of powdered green tea they learned in China. Practitioners incorporated tea into their meditation rituals, savoring the uplifting energy and mental clarity provided by this early powdered tea. They would also prepare tea for samurai warriors prior to battle and for social elites at elaborate banquets. Tokyo Kyushu Island Fukuoka Prefecture Mount Kirishima
In time, the Japanese developed a popular tea culture all their own. By the mid-18th century, they refined processing techniques for making loose leaf green teas using steam as the method of firing. This resulted in a character that paired well with the tastes of Japan, emphasizing a natural and vivid green color, fresh bittersweetness and famed umami flavor. Sencha is the classic example of this firing method, and represents over two thirds of Japan’s tea production today. The Japanese tea harvest season is divided into several distinct periods known as flushes. The early spring “first flush” begins in April and runs through May. The summer crop “second flush” picks up in June and ends in early July. Later flushes occur through the autumn. First flush teas contain more amino acids and sweetness whereas late flushes have more tannins.
14 R I S H I T E A & B OTA N I C A L S | LO O K B O O K
Mount Fuji
Kyoto
Shizuoka Prefecture Shikoku Prefecture Miyazaki Prefecture Kagoshima Prefecture
Pacific Ocean
Japanese tea cultivars are typically bred to create lower levels of tannin (for lower astringency) and higher levels of L-theanine amino acid (for increased umami flavor). The most sought-after Japanese teas are those picked in the first or second flush by hand or scissor harvesting techniques. Whereas pan-roasted green teas need to be infused longer with hotter water, steamed green teas should be infused with cooler water, as their contents are easily extracted within two brief cooler infusions. Their delicate flavor makes them an ideal candidate for cold brew preparation techniques.