なかや農園 Nagano Hand-harvested Organic Sencha
A very special find: hand-picked, organic first-flush Tenryu river sencha from Nagano Prefecture from our partner co-op farm, Nakaya Farm (なかや農園). This steeply terraced tea farm is perched along the steep banks of the river, and even has its own unmanned train station (NakaiSamurai station operated by Japan Railways Central)! Could there be any more quaint of a tea producer? Beautiful, glossy, long dark green needles open up to tender buds. Rare to find Nagano tea and we purchased a limited supply but look forward to a continued partnership. For those inclined to further their tea education, try both the Yabukita cultivar as well as Zairai (wild native tea plant) versions to compare. The Zairai tea has a lighter, crisper taste with a hint of peppercorn, while Yabukita has a great balance of body, aroma, and balanced astringency. We recommend brewing the Zairai with slightly lower water temperature at 70C to enjoy its unique characteristics (see guidance below)
Enjoy the breathtaking pictures of the tea farm, courtesy of Shinoda-san at Nakaya Farm
Origin: NakaiSamurai, Tenryu, Nagano Prefecture
Tea plant cultivar: Yabukita or Zairai (single-cultivar)
Process: Tezumi (hand-picked); organic
Net Weight: 80g (about 10-12 servings)
Brewing Guidance:
All Sanriku teas can be brewed up to 3 infusions with full flavor.
A quick note: When brewing Japanese tea, all of the water is meant to be poured out with each infusion (as opposed to Western-style brewing, where leaves are left in the water). For this reason, “kyusu” teapots (see here) are smaller to allow for full emptying between infusions, and making a fresh infusion each time.
Tea leaves: 1-1.5 Tbsp (7-8 grams, or 2 heaping scoops with a “Chasaji” cherry bark tea scoop)
Water temp: 75-80C (167-176F). 70-75C will be more mellow, 80C will be more brisk
Water amount: ~200-300mL (size of one typical “kyusu” style teapot)
Brew time: 1 minute for 1st infusion, 45 seconds for 2nd infusion, 1.5 minutes for third infusion
Feel free to experiment with water temperature and brewing time to your taste. If desiring a stronger flavor, we recommend using more leaf or slightly less water rather than pushing the temperature higher or infusion time longer (as this will bring out more astringency in the tea but not necessarily more flavor)
A very special find: hand-picked, organic first-flush Tenryu river sencha from Nagano Prefecture from our partner co-op farm, Nakaya Farm (なかや農園). This steeply terraced tea farm is perched along the steep banks of the river, and even has its own unmanned train station (NakaiSamurai station operated by Japan Railways Central)! Could there be any more quaint of a tea producer? Beautiful, glossy, long dark green needles open up to tender buds. Rare to find Nagano tea and we purchased a limited supply but look forward to a continued partnership. For those inclined to further their tea education, try both the Yabukita cultivar as well as Zairai (wild native tea plant) versions to compare. The Zairai tea has a lighter, crisper taste with a hint of peppercorn, while Yabukita has a great balance of body, aroma, and balanced astringency. We recommend brewing the Zairai with slightly lower water temperature at 70C to enjoy its unique characteristics (see guidance below)
Enjoy the breathtaking pictures of the tea farm, courtesy of Shinoda-san at Nakaya Farm
Origin: NakaiSamurai, Tenryu, Nagano Prefecture
Tea plant cultivar: Yabukita or Zairai (single-cultivar)
Process: Tezumi (hand-picked); organic
Net Weight: 80g (about 10-12 servings)
Brewing Guidance:
All Sanriku teas can be brewed up to 3 infusions with full flavor.
A quick note: When brewing Japanese tea, all of the water is meant to be poured out with each infusion (as opposed to Western-style brewing, where leaves are left in the water). For this reason, “kyusu” teapots (see here) are smaller to allow for full emptying between infusions, and making a fresh infusion each time.
Tea leaves: 1-1.5 Tbsp (7-8 grams, or 2 heaping scoops with a “Chasaji” cherry bark tea scoop)
Water temp: 75-80C (167-176F). 70-75C will be more mellow, 80C will be more brisk
Water amount: ~200-300mL (size of one typical “kyusu” style teapot)
Brew time: 1 minute for 1st infusion, 45 seconds for 2nd infusion, 1.5 minutes for third infusion
Feel free to experiment with water temperature and brewing time to your taste. If desiring a stronger flavor, we recommend using more leaf or slightly less water rather than pushing the temperature higher or infusion time longer (as this will bring out more astringency in the tea but not necessarily more flavor)
A very special find: hand-picked, organic first-flush Tenryu river sencha from Nagano Prefecture from our partner co-op farm, Nakaya Farm (なかや農園). This steeply terraced tea farm is perched along the steep banks of the river, and even has its own unmanned train station (NakaiSamurai station operated by Japan Railways Central)! Could there be any more quaint of a tea producer? Beautiful, glossy, long dark green needles open up to tender buds. Rare to find Nagano tea and we purchased a limited supply but look forward to a continued partnership. For those inclined to further their tea education, try both the Yabukita cultivar as well as Zairai (wild native tea plant) versions to compare. The Zairai tea has a lighter, crisper taste with a hint of peppercorn, while Yabukita has a great balance of body, aroma, and balanced astringency. We recommend brewing the Zairai with slightly lower water temperature at 70C to enjoy its unique characteristics (see guidance below)
Enjoy the breathtaking pictures of the tea farm, courtesy of Shinoda-san at Nakaya Farm
Origin: NakaiSamurai, Tenryu, Nagano Prefecture
Tea plant cultivar: Yabukita or Zairai (single-cultivar)
Process: Tezumi (hand-picked); organic
Net Weight: 80g (about 10-12 servings)
Brewing Guidance:
All Sanriku teas can be brewed up to 3 infusions with full flavor.
A quick note: When brewing Japanese tea, all of the water is meant to be poured out with each infusion (as opposed to Western-style brewing, where leaves are left in the water). For this reason, “kyusu” teapots (see here) are smaller to allow for full emptying between infusions, and making a fresh infusion each time.
Tea leaves: 1-1.5 Tbsp (7-8 grams, or 2 heaping scoops with a “Chasaji” cherry bark tea scoop)
Water temp: 75-80C (167-176F). 70-75C will be more mellow, 80C will be more brisk
Water amount: ~200-300mL (size of one typical “kyusu” style teapot)
Brew time: 1 minute for 1st infusion, 45 seconds for 2nd infusion, 1.5 minutes for third infusion
Feel free to experiment with water temperature and brewing time to your taste. If desiring a stronger flavor, we recommend using more leaf or slightly less water rather than pushing the temperature higher or infusion time longer (as this will bring out more astringency in the tea but not necessarily more flavor)