Nengancha

Meet the Nengancha Plantation Through the Words of Its Owner:

Allow me to introduce my tea garden and my tea. The tea plantation 念願茶 (Nengancha, "Dream Tea") is located in Gifu Prefecture, in 東白川村 (Higashishirakawa mura, "Eastern White River") at an altitude of 450-500 meters. Surrounded by forests on all sides and facing almost directly south, the plantation enjoys a highly favorable microclimate for tea cultivation. With abundant annual rainfall (approx. 2500 mm), frequent mists, and significant temperature differences between day and night during the harvest season, this region offers ideal conditions for growing tea—a tradition in our village for over 400 years.

The plantation is divided into two parts:

• 池の脇 (IKENOWAKI, "By the Pond"): This lower section is located next to an old reservoir that once stored mountain water for rice fields. The tea plants here are of the Yabukita cultivar.
• 杉の元 (SUGINOMOTO, "At the Roots of the Cedar"): The upper section is situated near a 200-year-old Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria). The tea plants here are Yabukita with a blend of Zairai, the original tea plants grown from seeds.

The symbol of our plantation is the Japanese giant salamander, one of the world's largest amphibians, which can be spotted in the White River flowing through our village.

I hope our tea resonates with you and transports you, even for a moment, to the land of deep mountains and lush forests, to the Eastern White River.

Aleš Gallas
Nengancha