The city of Yame is located within Fukuoka prefecture on Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu and is home to the renowned Yamecha (八女茶; tea from Yame). Here, the entire region from the Tsukushi Plain to the basins of the Yabe and the Chikugo rivers are often shrouded in a dense fog, especially in the morning. This provides natural protection from sunlight, which in turn stimulates the tea plants, enabling them to develop high levels of umami-rich amino acids. Teas from Yame are hence often referred to as "natural gyokuros" and can become particularly aromatic. The rivers not only provide the region with pure mountain spring water, but also bring cool, humid air to the terroir. With hot days, cool nights and even snow in winter, the fluctuating temperatures of the region contribute to this humidity. The area around Yame also experiences heavy rainfall with up to 2400mm falling annually. This, combined with the loose, sediment-rich soils and the sloping mountain terroir, ensures that the tea plantations are constantly irrigated. The climate and the rich soil make the tea plants particularly hardy and ultimately contribute to the unmistakable, full-bodied aroma of Yamecha.
The origin of Yamecha dates back to 1423 and the work of the Zen master Shuzui, who brought Ming-style tea cultivation and processing methods to Japan from China, in which the tea would be roasted in a pot. However, it was not until the Edo period in the mid-19th century that the Uji method of tea production, which involves steaming and shading, gradually began to gain popularity; this resulted in the production of the very first senchas, which at the time were rare and considered a luxury product. The gradual modernisation of tea production followed, and a tea industry slowly developed around Fukuoka. The teas from this region were formally grouped together under the name Yamecha in 1925 to highlight their distinctive qualities. Today, Yame is considered one of the leading tea regions in all of Japan, and consistently receives the most prestigious awards in the country's tea contests. Yamecha has won the prestigious MAFF Award for gyokuro from the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries consistently from 2001 to 2012, and has also regularly received the same award in the sencha category.
SINGLE ORIGIN
This tea is sourced exclusively from the above-mentioned tea plantations in Yame and is purchased directly from the farmer.
Organic Certification
