SHINCHA KIRARI SAITO 50g

• Steaming: Asamushi (light steaming)
• Cultivar: Kirari (Kirari 31)
• Region: Honyama, Shizuoka

A single-cultivar shincha made only from Kirari leaves from Mr Saito’s mountain gardens, where the character of the cultivar meets the Honyama terroir.

Kirari 31 (きらり31) was bred in Miyazaki Prefecture by crossing Sakimidori with Saemidori. It is high in amino acids and low in catechins, which translates into a bright green cup with intense umami and little astringency; its aroma is often compared to peach and chestnut.

Mr Katsuya Saito’s tea gardens lie in Honyama (本山), the mountainous upper reaches of the Abe and Warashina rivers north of Shizuoka City and one of Japan’s most celebrated tea districts. Mist rising from the river valleys shades the bushes naturally, nights are cool and the harvest comes up to a month later than in the lowlands. The resulting yama no cha (“mountain tea”) is known for its fresh aroma, delicate taste and pleasant minerality. Honyama tea is said to have been a favorite of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Mr Saito switched to organic farming more than 40 years ago, and his farm has held JAS organic certification since 2001. He uses no pesticides or chemical fertilizers, enriches the soil with organic mineral fertilizers he makes himself and keeps to the traditional light asamushi steaming typical of the mountains, which gives a clear golden-green liquor. I first came across his tea by lucky chance – through his wife, at a farmers’ market in Shizuoka City.