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The perfect cup of Japanese green tea

Mr. Nakayama is a third generation tea farmer in the Higashisonogi region of Southern Japan. He farms ten hectares of green tea plantation and showed me around his fields with views across the valley to the Omura Sea. The farm is in rural Japan and a world away from the frenetic Japanese city lifestyle, but can be reached from Nagasaki in less than 2 hours. As I explored the tea plantation, the air was still with no sound but the birds, and it seemed for a moment the neon and noise of city life had vanished. The finest green tea Higashisonogi produces the best green tea in Japan; something Mr Nakayama is keen to emphasize .In fact the region won the Best Green Tea award in 2017 and 2018 at the Japan Green Tea Awards for their Tama Tea. My visit to this community is part of an agricultural tourism scheme by the Higashisonogi Green Tea Tourism Association to bring rural experiences to an urban community. This includes showing visitors the best of regional food and getting hands on experience of the farming community. Three farmers have collaborated to give visitors a green tea experience on their plantations, each sharing the various aspects of the visit and the surrounding breath-taking scenery. The Higashisonogi area was the first to export tea in Japan. It sits on the intersection between two major trade routes; the Nagasaki Kaido Road connecting Nagasaki and Tokyo met the Hirado Kaido Road. During the Edo period (1603-1868) Nagasaki was the only port open to foreign traders in Japan. The tea export business began in 1853 when a female trader, Ohura Keio, exported tea to the United States. This area around Higashisonogi produces 60 per cent of the tea in Nagasaki. 750 tonnes are produced each year. Terraced plantations I admire the tightly clipped terraces where the tea grows in immaculately pruned rows. There is just a narrow gap between the plants and everything is packed as tightly as possible onto the terraces. On the higher slopes tea is hand clipped but a machine cuts the leaves on the lower levels. Large wire fences surrounded the tea plantation. Mr Nakayama explained these were designed to keep out local wild boars that have a penchant for green tea. Luckily the boars also acquired a taste for Japanese Pit Vipers which cleared the area of venomous snakes. There are two tea harvests a year. One is in April to May and the second at the end of June. The leaves are then steamed and dried before being sent to markets and retailers. Tea in this area is cultivated to produce fine Japanese green tea for steaming, otherwise known as tamaryokucha. I’m taken to a quaint traditional tea house on the plantation where another farmer’s wife, Mrs Oyama, demonstrates how to make the perfect cup of green tea. Her tea room is full of tiny cups, wall decorations, and pots. I learn there are four things that go towards making the perfect cup and it is definitely not made like a builders’ tea. “The temperature of the water is crucial, “says Mrs Oyama, “It must be hot. 70 degrees is ideal.” The amount of water counts, as does the amount of green tea (3-5 grams). Finally, the brewing time is vital- 1 minute for green tea. Mrs Oyama demonstrated the technique by taking a flask and pouring the hot water into each of the cups. This measured the exact amount needed which was then placed into the teapot. I watched and wondered how all these measurements would work out, speaking as one who unceremoniously dunks a teabag in a mug at home. The tea was added and it was left to brew for one minute exactly before being poured in sequence in small amounts into the cups. It tasted fresh and sublime, and all the more so for being grown in the nearby fields. The first cup should be drunk immediately but subsequent cups can be brewed for longer. Green tea has many health benefits including fat burning and improving brain function. It is renowned for its antioxidant properties and in anti-aging. I definitely felt refreshed. Mrs Oyama had made small mocha cakes flavoured with strawberry that turned out to be the ideal accompaniment to a cup of green tea. Strawberries also grow in abundance in this area. A few days earlier I had sampled the macha green tea in Kyoto, whisked to perfection by a geisha with the consistency of a tasteless pea soup which had left me underwhelmed. The tea in Higashisonogi was what I had been hoping to taste all along. I make a mental note to refine my tea making activity in future. The farmers had also prepared a lunch of locally sourced food. Each family takes it in turn to host the meal and the tea making. Mr Nakayama invited me into his home where a feast of delicacies had been prepared. I removed my shoes and put on traditional slippers. He showed me the family shrine in the corner of the living room where photos of ancestors where displayed. A long table was covered with dishes containing local specialties – all ready to eat. As with most Japanese homes, seating was on the floor. Broccoli with sesame, honeyed pork, and sticky rice were just a few of the treats that had been cooked up by the farming families and the ingredients came from the surrounding area. Tempura vegetables came from the farmers gardens, and those strawberries were back on the table, as sweet as ever. It was a delicious and plentiful banquet. Visiting a local community like this was a real privilege and gave an insight into how one of the most famous of Japanese foods is produced. My tea making skills also benefited by learning from an expert.

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12 Comments

  1. I love green tea! It has so many benefits, some less publicised than others, I think. Did you know it’s supposed to be able to reduce the symptoms of asthma, for example?

    But actually visiting a green tea plantation and trying the tea there… that sounds a cool experience. Would you say it tasted at all different to having it back home?

    1. Hi. Thanks for your feedback. It definitely tasted fresher than a standard teabag. It was a real insight into how the green tea is cultivated and rural Japan.

  2. I find it very exciting that so many people take such pride in producing something that seems as simple as a cup of tea. It’s obvious that there’s as much care going into developing a top quality green tea as there is in creating a fine wine.

    1. It really was an insight into a different culture. As someone who rushes about and sticks a teabag in a mug it was quite a step back to watch and learn how the Japanese make green tea with all that precision.

  3. This is a lovely story, very thoroughly researched and nicely told. Once you start taking an interest in the little everyday things in a society, digging below the surface, so often you really get to understand what makes a culture tick. It is clear from this well written piece that green tea is very important to the Japanese way of life.

    1. Thanks for the feedback. I really enjoy writing about those everyday things that get overlooked, especially food and culture.

  4. I’m a tea drinker, and prefer green tea than any other tea for its milder taste and many healthy benefits. Plus, it goes perfectly with sweet biscuits and bread. I love it with scones with butter and honey. I just think this is the perfect combination. Having it from Japan certainly adds to the authenticity as I’ve always associated green tea with Japan.

  5. Wow, talk about getting it right. I’m so fascinated by how much passion the Japanese put into the work they do on a daily basis. It becomes this lifelong obsession that is beautiful and inspiring. I look forward to visiting there and exploring the agricultural side of the country.

  6. Wondering which is the Best Green Tea brand? As we all know that consuming green tea regularly can Enhance our ‘Immune System’ to 10x, As it is full of antioxidants and nutritions which also protect us from several diseases like Cancer, Diabetes, Blood Pressure and many more. According to the scientific study it is to be said that drinking herbal or organic Tea regularly can Increase Your Age Limit.

  7. I hope that I’m not speaking too soon and jinxing things but I’ve got a friend who’s waging a very successful battle against cancer so far. He cites green tree as one of the major reasons for his improved health.

  8. For over half a century I’ve been a really unadventurous tea drinker sticking to my standard tea bags.

    Then I stayed with an old friend for a weekend who’s really got into trying different teas.

    I couldn’t believe how refreshing and tasty some of them were. Now I just can’t learn enough about tea and I’m really up for trying some Japanese tea.

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