Japanese Green tea for Life

We are green tea exporter in Japan. Japanese green tea has a lot of varieties such as Sencha, Gyokuro, Matcha. Each of producer in gardens are devorting their life for tea production. We'd like to introduce and share their interesting story. For more info, visit; www.jp-greentea.co.jp/english/

タグ:tea

We launched new service in our Private Labeling option.

It's tea bag.

Tea bagged tea is very common in tea consumers and we often asked from our business clients if we can provide Private labeling service.

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It looks easy to make tea bag from the view of consumers, but it is very difficult to develp it as Private labeling service.

Quantity
Automatic tea bagging machine makes 60 units per minute. And ideal cost effective operation to the tea bagging machine is 1 tea/ ingredient per day. Then we can clean up the machine in the morning and night, 2 times. The machine is big and it takes 1 hour to clean up.

So, roughly 28,800 tea bags are made per day for 1 taste.

It would be too much for small sized tea companies to sell out within expiry date.

Selling tea bag products are still suitable for big sized companies like brands you see in supermarkets.

And I've thinking how I can offer to our clients.

Oh, by the way, I want you to understand this fact before I move on.
1st step of tea bag product' development is that client make a specification sheet and estimated annual order plan.
Then, tea supplier or packer judges if we can do and proceed or not.
So, the discussion are made within who both knows about all basic knowledges about production.
Therefore, the brands who you see in supermarkets have settled about leaf quality and quantity, filter material, mesh size, tag, strings, so on...

Unfortunately, there is no International Tea Business School so far to educate tea business even though there are many who teach the tastes.

Then, back to the story.

To make it real for the clients who want to start with small volume in online, we set some rule.
We specified the tea variety, grade and net weight.
Also the filter and tag.
Packing option is 2 kinds: small pouch and big pouch for targetting HORECA .

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Tea is all organic so that no matter your country's pesticide residue standard, we can ship to wherever you are.

Tea selection is 5 tea.
Japan's most well-knowned green tea is Sencha.
We set Sencha for (1) Spring 1st Flush, (2) Summer 2nd Flush, and (3) Autumnal.
And Genmaicha (brown rice and sencha), Hojicha (roasted green tea).

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TEA-BAG-Private-Labeling-Kagoshima]
If you have any question, please contact to
www.jp-greentea .co.jp/english

Thank you very much.



Here is the limited edition of Organic Gyokuro.

Making organic gyokuro is really difficult than we think.
Sun shading the tea tree for a month with organic fertiliser is not enhancing L-Theanine grow.
The leaf can be dark like conventional Gyokuro but it is just because of Chlorophyll and not by L-Theanine.

Therefore, we need to start from soil making with good compost.

Sakamoto brothers, we launchged on last year is the first one we tested to tea professionals in Japan and no one thought this is organic.
This year, we introduce 3 teas from Sakamoto brothers in Kagoshima.

22658 LIMITED 230kg. Kagoshima Sakamoto Organic Gyokuro Yabukita
22658 Organic Gyokuro Yabukita 3
Sakamoto Brothers organic gyokuro is succeeded since 2015. We proudly launch this high quality gyokuro in organic. Please check their great story of gyokuro making. Yabukita is most popular cultivar in Japanese sencha.

5g for max. 200ml. Cool down the boiling water to 60 to 50C degree. 3 minutes. Use small tea cups and pour to each cup a little by a little. See carefully on the surface of the cup. If it looks shiny jerry looking, it is about to drink even the color is not yellow like Sencha.


#23054 LIMITED 210kg. Kagoshima Sakamoto Organic Gyokuro Yutaka Midori
23054 Organic Gyokuro Yutakamidori 3
 Yutaka Midori is rich antioxidant and rare cultivar.
Reasonable price among Sakamoto selection.


#23055 LIMITED 70kg. Kagoshima Sakamoto Organic Gyokuro Premium
23055 Organuic Gyokuro Blend 3
 This premium Gyokuro is blended within his organic gyokuro garden, Yabukita and Saemidori cultivars.


The last one is;
#23067 LIMITED 65kg. Kagoshima Organic Gyokuro Kanaya. Limited Edition.
23067 K 3
Limited Edition. Total 65kg only. The most reasonable price in organic Gyokuro. Also the cultivar is Kanaya Midori which is very rare to be sold as single cultivar. Very rich Theanine.

You see the Jello look a like cup color from the photos. This is high concentration of L-Theanine.
All the teas above are harvested only once in a year, no 2nd flush or Autumnal, to save the best energy for 1st flush of next year.

If you have any question, please contact to
www.jp-greentea .co.jp/english

Thank you very much.

I usually travel many tea regions in Japan mostly from February to May for purchasing and communication with farmers. We share many homework with tea gardens to develop pesticide complianced but the taste is similar to Japanese standard.

These days, I spent more time for organic gadens so that it was physically very tough trip since my choice of organic gardens are mostly located in deep inside of mountains.
But they are real deal: genuine tea growers rather than just "I keep JAS certificate rule" gardens.

Also, organic teas are grown slower than conventional tea trees so that the harvest time is later and packing to be ready is slower since the gardens are relatively smaller sized.

Anyway, 2016 selection is ready and let me introduce them.

These are not yet JAS certified but in the process of evaluation by JAS Organic.

So, let me call them "Export tea" until they are certified. They are grown in 1 single farm and crop amount is very limited.

#23066 Kagoshima Sencha F No Pesticide. Limited Edition
23066 K 3

Limited Edition. Total 500kg. No pesticide, no chemical fertiliser. Unique aroma. Rich Theanine. 1 farm made. Blended for taste and aroma.


#23068 Kagoshima Sencha 2nd flush A for EU Limited Edition
23068 K 3
Limited Edition. Total 450kg. This tea is made for EU compliance. A little long steamed (Fukamushi) and rich Theanine.


#23070 Kagoshima Sencha A for USA Limited Edition
23070 K 3
Limited Edition. Total 350kg. The most recommended Sencha in 2016. This 1st flush tea is early crop blended to complete aroma, sweetness and rich taste, blended by Mr. Tomiyama.

#23071 Kagoshima Sencha B for USA Limited Edition
23071 K 3
Limited Edition. Total 300kg. This is economy version of #23070 Sencha A, the most recommended Sencha in 2016. This 1st flush tea is early crop blended to complete aroma, sweetness and rich taste, blended by Mr. Tomiyama.

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This is Mr. Tomiyama of Kagoshima tea. He is a taster and blender who bid in dealer auction for me.

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To be continued....

If you have any question, please contact to
www.jp-greentea .co.jp/english

Thank you very much.

Mr. Mori of 9th degree tea master is owning finishing tea company, Kagoshima Seicha and tea house, Birouen near Kagoshima Chuo Station.

His selection 2015 is;

Organic Kagoshima Sencha 1st Flush.
22263 Kagoshima Sencha 1st Flush
Organic Kagoshima Fukamushi cha 1st Flush.

Fukamushi means deep steamed.
Actually they are steamed longer time than deep (higher temperature) steamed.

The benefit is that tea color gets green by powdered leaf and taste sweeter than short time steamed if same leaf.
However, the leaf below look so great that you see deep green needle shape.
It looks like the leaf is too good and he didn't want to break the leaf shape.
It is still Fukamushi but really close to standard sencha this year.
22264 Fukamushi 1st flush 3
Organic Kagoshima Sencha 2nd Flush.
Kagoshima locates far south in Japan.
The eariest harvest of 2nd flush in Japan. This is teh latest arrival.
22445 Sencha 2nd flush 3
As seasonal products, the followings are always available.

Organic Sencha Autamnal.
22446 Sencha Autamnal 3
Organic Genmaicha
22267 Genmaicha kagoshima 3
Organic Hojicha
22270 Hojicha 3
Organic Kukicha
22266 Kukicha 3
To be continued.

If you have any question, please contact to
www.jp-greentea .co.jp/english

Thank you very much!

I traveled many tea regions in Japan to choose the 2015 tea.
I spent more time for organic gadens in Japan this year so that it was physically very tough trip this year since my choice of organic gardens are mostly located in deep inside of mountains.
But they are real deal: genuine tea growers rather than just "I keep JAS certificate rule" gardens.

Also, organic teas are grown slower than conventional tea trees so that the harvest time is later and packing to be ready is slower since the gardens are relatively smaller sized.

Anyway, 2015 selection is ready and let me introduce them.

1st one is Sakamoto Brothers; Organic Gyokuro. Kagoshima.

Tea has rich Theanine so that it look very shiny.
I believe most of tea people won't know it is organic until they are told.
1st time to launch this tea to the world.
22658 Gyokuro Yabukita 3
2nd is Mr. Katsume's Sencha Asatsuyu. Kagoshima

Asatsuyu is called natural Gyokuro by its sweetness, however, the cultivar is very weak so that this is mostly used for blend sencha since the production volume is quite low.

This is limited edition but we are happy to produce 100% Asattsuyu cultivar sencha this year.
Please use 70C to 80C degree and start pouring after 30 seconds.
22652 Katsume Asatsuyu
3rd is Katsume's Sencha Saemidori. Kagoshima

Saemidori is made by crossing Yabukita and Asatsuyu.
The prince of cultivar.
Mr. Katsume is a tea master and competition winner.
This is the best 2015 in his 23 cultivars.
22217 Katsume Saemidori 3
The next is,

Famous Harimaen in Uji, Kyoto.
Organic Gyokuro.
It's been an only organic gyokuro in Japan for a long time.
22606 Harima Gyokuro 3
Organic Hojicha.
Hojicha is roasted green tea.
It looks wild as you see stems ans stalks.
But when you open the package, please smell it. Smoky leaf aroma is so rich and you'll see the artistical skill or roasting.
22610 Harimaen Hojicha 3
Organic matcha ceremonial Grade A (the highest among his matcha)
21992 Uji matcha A 3

Organic matcha ceremonial grade B (the 2nd best)
21993 Uji Matcha B 3

To be continued....

If you have any question, please contact to
www.jp-greentea .co.jp/english

Thank you very much.

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Mr. Daitaro Kitajima, Ms. Hiroko Urashima, Ms. Valerie Collet, Mr. Jean Claude Collet, Ms. Lei Peng.


We have many clients or visitors from oversea through the year.
Most are just visit our office and taste teas.
Some are just ready for set up photo shooting with labo wear for commercial photos like a movie and actors. (I'm not blaming!  Because they actually came to Japan and tasted all teas in our tasting room to learn what is what)

The (not English "The", it's tea in French) Cha Yuan International of France were the most respective tea company we have seen among the guests came to Japan.

Well, they have 30 years of history and superior Chinese tea and Indian tea specialits.
Finally they stepped over to Japan so we, Japanese should be proud of that we get paid attention!

They came to Tokyo from China. They have already spent a month in several tea region in China.
Reached in mid night at Tokyo airport and we fly over to Kagoshima in the next morning.

Right after we reached, we drove to very country side, Soo city to meet my partner Mr. Katsume.
He introduced us the 1st organic gyokuro garden in Kagoshima in Shibushi city.

That was a big news for me too that no one has tried organic gyokuro except Harimaen in Uji, Kyoto so far.
Mr. Katsume said this is their 1st year to harvest organic Gyokuro.
So, we just drove deeper area to see the garden in Shibushi city.

They are Sakamoto brothers, who are famous organic compost manufacturers in the area.
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The garden and the story they telling us are very interesting.

Mr. Jean Claude Collet asked so many of questions to Mr. Sakamoto and I was very happy to see his and the team's enthusiasm.

Then we went to Katsume gaeden to see rough tea manufacturing.

We had no time for breakfast and lunch this day.

Day 2.
Meet up on 6AM at lobby in the hotel and joined to tea dealer auction.
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They touched, smelled, and questioned a lot.
Japanese teas are quite complicated in small detail such as rough tea, finished tea, cultivars...but they are expert of Chinise and black teas so that they understood so quickly.

Then we moved to Kirishima mountain.
There are the biggest organic tencha garden in Japan.
Tencha is a raw material of matcha.

We got into tencha factory and see the rough tea process.
Tasting matcha.
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to be continued....

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Sakamoto brothers in Kagoshima Gyokuro garden are extraordinery tea farmer. Well, they are scientists, actually. I don't see the people like them in tea business, and I thank for the opportunity to meet them.

Today's agreculture, especially fruits, are totally improved the taste to be sweeter in decade. But it doesn't mean the plants are healthy as it used to be they were wild. Most of the difference is maybe because of improvement of cheamical fertilisers.

Then, Sakamoto brothers have tried making organic Gyokuro. It means there is no text book or instructors since no one really made it before, well, I mean convincing level.
So, everything what they have done is just everything what they tried so many kinds of experiments!!
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This is the dealer tea auction photos.
Tea dealers bid without tasting.
How?
They check leaf: color, shape, aroma, moisture-dry balance. Weight towards volume. (heavier than it looks proves much nutrition inside).
Then, they check tea cup color. What do you get to know from the cup color?

This is all about Sakamoto brothers tried and achieved perfect organic Gyokuro tea.

As a compost maker, they paid attention to Reactive Oxigen (ROS).

1st of all, they picked several green teas with different price.

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3 days later, they saw the result like below;
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Right side remain its green, and it was the most expensive one.

Then, they made a special energy drink for the plants, mixed with Nitrogen, Magnesium, Calcium, and minerals. They made 4 different formula to see which is the best.
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The result is obvious and they used this formula for their prototype nutrition.
Fortunately, they have had an own conventional tea farm so that they made an instant organic tea bushes at beginning. Then, gave the nutrition to both organic tea bush and conventional tea bush.

They plucked raw leaves from both organic and conventional tea trees.
Then steamed both.
The left is conventional and the right is organic.
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The result is obvious that their nutrition stopped ROS (reactive oxigen) to increase. It means cup color remain green. So, it means better leaf can remain the greenness and cheap leaf becomes red by ROS.

Now you seee how auction dealer buy/bid the tea. They see such redness through the infusded leaf and cup color.

Back to Sakamoto Bros. story.
Then, they moved to bigger experiment.
Fortunately, they have received the dead tea garden from very old aged neighbor who gave up tea farming by his high age.

Then, see the difference between left and right from the center.
The left lookd greener than the right.
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Also, look at the stem.
Organic one with his nutrition still remain green color while conventional tea with chemical fertiliser is already brown. 
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See the cell density by microscope!
Sorry the zooming size is different but left one is more densed and barely see white room inside of cell.
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Organic leaf has densed cells and kept more clorofil, the substance is very important nutrition in green tea which cleans blood and rich antioxidant.

Yes, so the tea dealer check the cup color and see how cup color become red or its greenness is kept.

For example, they come to the auction hall in 7AM but bidding in 11AM. They see the trget teas and check how they changed in few hours. Loose leaf after infusion is also gives such answer. Cheap leaf becomes red.

After such experiment, Sakamoto brothers finally made their organic garden at the peak of his mountain.

Pasting enough compost on the soil.

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The soil itself began fermented.
The temp. reached to 65C degrees and the seeds of weed or bad bacteria are all gone.
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After 3 months, digging 2 meter dephs, and then mixing with their special organic compost.


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Planting!
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Grown very well!
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1 year later!
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Now.
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Soil is still soft like a bed.
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Therefore the leaf is green
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When I told this story to my partners of tea farmers in everywhere in Japan, they are very skeptical about it and many said it works only a year and then, rain wash away such condition and the soil will be hard enough like the conventional gardens..

Well, it is not true.
The photo I introduced are year 2004 to 2009.

This is the video we shot in 2015.



They recognized that this "too healthy" soil and tea trees may be able to stand long day sun-shading without chemical fertilizer.
The answer was YES. It was a true Gyokuro. Maybe many won't find out it is organic by tasting.
I mean the weakness of organic teas are its taste of too light and weak.

So, I say they achieved to remarkable stage of organic tea industry.

Am I convincing?

If you are interested in his Kagoshima Gyokuro teas, please visit;
www.jp-greentea.co.jp
to contact to us.

Organic Yabukita, Saemidori, Okumidori cultivars' single Gyokuro are available.

Total availability is around 1 ton now.


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The big collaboration between Organic tea gardener, Mr. Kenji Tofuku and Kagoshima Seicha and Japan GreenTea.

Mr. Tofuku is one of the biggest name as organic tea farmer in Kirishima, Kagoshima in Japan.

We exhibited his organic teas; Sencha, Fukamushicha, Genmaicha, Hojicha, and Kukicha in last SIAL 2014 Paris, France.
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Every visitors who saw the fantastic needle shape of his 1st flush sencha said fantastic.

Kirishima is the hole of organic tea gardens in Kagoshima and the new tea is coming for sale on early June. (we sort and check pesticide residue)

Kirishima mountain
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Organic sencha
 Kagoshima green teas 20140926 026
Organic Genmaicha
Kagoshima green teas 20140926 004
Organic Hojicha (mild roast)
Kagoshima green teas 20140926 006
Organic Kukicha
Kagoshima green teas 20140926 021
This is First Flush Fukamushicha.
Kagoshima green teas 20140926 018

Our 2015 offer is almost ready.


If you are interested in these Kagoshima teas, please visit;
www.jp-greentea.co.jp
to contact to us.

I've written about Mr. Hiroyuki Mori in my blog before.

His enthusiasm about tea is sperior and any of his tea is very tasty.
I've learned a lot from him and his man, Mr. Imayoshi.

The most valuable knowledge I've leaned from them is how to bid in tea dealer auction.

Most of Japanese tea gardens are very small sized farm who have been doing from 100 years ago. As you may know, Japanese green tea Sencha is used be made by hands rolling until being introduced the recent technology. It means, at the time, anybody can be a finished tea maker if they have a tea farm.

After the rolling machines (there are several for each process) are introduced, there are 3 types of tea gardens are developped. 

1. Just a farm, doing agreculture only. No facility for even making rough tea. Maybe you can imagine that 1 family has a rough tea facility and use 9 of neighbors using their factory when harvest.

2. A farm with rough tea facility. Roughly more than 5 ha. farm usually have an own rough tea facility. Rough tea process for sencha is;

(1) Plucking

(2) Steaming to stop fermentation. (unlike black tea) (
Unlike Chinese green tea which is pan flied to stop fermentation, Japanese method is steaming. Why? It's because to remain/maintain vivid green color of leaf.

(3) 4 different types of rolling.  Soju, Juunen, Cyuju, Seiju.

(4) Drying.

Then, most of rough teas are coming to tea dealer auctions in production city.
Shizuoka and Kagoshima are 2 biggest auctiions held every day around harvest season.

Then, so called Seicha companies (means finished tea) are coming for bidding.
They bid the tea and bring rough tea to their 2nd process facility to finish the tea when they win.

2nd stage of processing is from rough tea to finished tea.
Sorting the size, removing stalk, shaping the colors, heating or blending are done at this stage.
That is also requiring artisan skill. Please smell loose leaf when you buy a new tea and open the package. Nice leaf aroma means thier technic is high.

You can imagine blending requires not only the skill but also the big facility.




Backing to the beginning of this essay.
Mr. Imayoshi taught me how he makes pricing for tea.

Especially Kagoshima, the bidder can not taste the tea but they don't complain!!
How they figurfe out?

Maybe I'll write about it soon when I talk about how nutrition in soil reflect to the leaf.
So, this time, please check the video to just see the overall image of tea manufacturing.

If you are interested in, visit
www.jp-greentea.co.jp/english
and contact to me!

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Sweet Sakura tea is now in DEMO at Aeon Korn Hill Store (AEON康怡店. 香港鰂魚涌康山道2號康怡廣場(南)).
It is good chance for you to taste real sakura with 3 flavors. Drinking chery blossom must be fun experience for you. The popular seasonal product, Sakura Latte is also available.

We are doing massive promotion in May.
Citistore Tsuen Wan (荃灣店. 新界荃灣地段 301號荃灣千色匯 II) is also doing Demo.
Whichever closer to you, please visit and taste our tea.
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If you have any question, please contact to our Hong Kong distributor;


櫻之茶園
Chak Lei Creative Ltd.

Room A301, 1/F., New East SunIndustrial Building

18 Shing Yip Street,  Kwun Tong, Kowloon

九龍官塘成業街18號, 新怡生工業大廈1樓A301

 Phone:+852 2690 0335

E-mail: gary@chaklei.com

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