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Tobetto Sencha
Sofu Tezumi

Name: Sencha Tobetto Sofu Tezumi
SKU: 3791
Price: 25.90 EUR
Availability: InStock

Contest Grade 99 P.

SKU

3791

Our premium sencha directly sourced from the 2014 Nihoncha award-winning tea farm in the top growing region of Tobetto, Honyama in Shizuoka Prefecture. Hand-picked (tezumi) and briefly steamed (asamushi). From Yoshiki Koshugi. 40g

Details	In 2014, this tea won Japan's most important tea competition. The rare sofu cultivar is exceptionally aromatic and possesses more than twice as much of the flavonoid quercetin as yabukita.
Character	Exceptionally aromatic, with jasmine and vanilla notes, elegant, complex, mild in taste, potent
Tea Garden	Yoshiki Kosugi 小杉佳輝, nephew of Japan's most famous sencha tea master, Katsumi Tsukiji 築地勝美 (died 2014)
Terroir	Tobetto, Honyama (region), Shizuoka (prefecture)
Harvest	1st harvest (ichibancha), hand-picked beginning of May, 2023. Only the bud and first 3 leaves
Cultivar	Sofu
Elevation	200m above sea level
Steaming	Short (asamushi, approximately 20 seconds)
Shading	No shading
Organic Cert.	None, conventional cultivation
Laboratory Tests	Radioactivity (Region 08/2018)
Awards	Nihoncha Platinum Award 2014 in the "best aroma" category
Grade	99/100 P. (sencha category); Contest Grade

In stock

Yoshiki Kosugi 小杉佳輝, nephew of Japan's most famous sencha tea master Katsumi Tsukiji 築地勝美 (died 2014), carries on the family tradition with great expertise. He is committed to honouring his heritage in his tea cultivation, and aims to produce the best tea in Japan by taking the utmost care in every aspect of cultivation. To that end, special attention is paid to the machine for steaming the tea, because Mr. Kosugi wants to retain the original, field-fresh taste in the tea as much as possible. For this reason, the tea is steamed only sparingly, even removing the cover of the steaming machine to ensure as gentle a steam as possible.

This tea, from a multi-award winning tea farm, won the Nihoncha Platinum Award in 2014 for “Best Aroma” in 2014. This famous tea farm has received many awards including the 1st place MAFF Award (Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries), 1st place Nihoncha Award, top 100 "Fuji No Kuni No Ocha" (Tea of the Home of Mt. Fuji) Award and Gold Medal in the Shanghai International Cultural Festival.

Flavour

Yoshiki Kosugi, the nephew of the late Master Katsumi Tsukiji, has brought forth an absolutely exceptional sencha made from the highly aromatic and rare sofu cultivar, which he expertly cultivates at one of the best terroirs in all of Japan. With its complex jasmine and vanilla notes, this tea is one of the most aromatic that we have tasted from Japan. The taste is mild and elegant, yet robust and full-bodied. A "must-have" for sencha connoisseurs.

Leaf

Attractive, long, silky needles, deep green

Cup

Vibrant green with a touch of yellow

This tea, from a multi-award winning tea farm, won the Nihoncha Platinum Award in 2014 for “Best Aroma” in 2014.

Sencha is by far the most commonly cultivated and consumed green tea in Japan and constitutes the backbone of Japanese tea traditions. The leaves are typically steamed for 10-60 seconds, dried with hot air, churned, and via a multi-staged process rolled into flat needles. The flavour profile of sencha is very diverse and varies between sweet, fresh and grassy to robustly bitter. The region of cultivation as well as quality of the tea play a significant role in determining flavour.

We go to great lengths to identify the finest organic tea farms across the world’s most celebrated terroirs. All our teas are sourced directly from the farmer and, with a few exceptions, are certified organic or come from pesticide-free farms. Each batch of tea for every harvest is tested for pesticides and other pollutants in an independent German lab to ensure they meet our strict quality standards as well as HACCP food safety requirements. Likewise, all the regions of Japan from which we source our teas are tested for radioactivity for every harvest.

Premium Organic Teas

Our comprehensive portfolio focuses on organic, single-origin teas sourced directly from renowned farms. We believe in creating partnerships with farmers who share our values and are committed to sustainable, responsible tea cultivation. Thanks to these strong relationships our exciting range is constantly growing and evolving. As an international team of dedicated and passionate tea experts, we are committed to preserving centuries-old tea culture while ensuring it remains relevant and continues to bring joy in the present. About Yoshi En.

Cultivation & Processing

The mountainous area of Tobetto in Honyama is considered one of the most idyllic and best terroirs for tea in all of Japan. One can even see Mt. Fuji from the tea fields, which stretch across the mountain slopes. The steep land provides excellent drainage and the tea plants benefit from the significant temperature fluctuations between night and day. The winters are also harsh and snowy. To stimulate the growth of the plants, the tea farmer uses a pure and organic formula for the fertiliser.

Single Origin

This tea is exclusively sourced from the above mentioned tea farm in Tobetto. Sourced directly from the tea farmer.

Preparation

Brewing Guide

2 heaped tsp per 100-300ml (50-60°C) water. Steep for 2 minutes. Suitable for several infusions.

Packaging

High quality, airtight, resealable standing zipper pouch with 9 protective layers to preserve flavour and protect against oxidation and contamination.

Recommended Teapot

The ideal teapot for sencha is a red tokoname kyusu with a fine ceramic sieve, which can best bring out the taste of sencha. Alternatively, a black tokoname kyusu can be used, which is a good all-rounder for preparing green teas.

Recommended Storage

Ideally store in a quality tea caddy made from cherry tree bark (wooden, kabazaiku chazutsu) or an airtight, double-coated metal tin.

Test results

We find it very important that our teas are pure and produced in a way that respects the environment. For this reason, each one of our teas is tested for pesticide residues by an independent laboratory, the results of which can be found here. Some of our teas are also tested for specific nutritional compounds, in which case the test results are also published here.

See tests

Tobetto Sencha
Sofu Tezumi

Tea Farm