Genmaicha, Gyokuro, Hojicha, Kocha, Matcha, Sencha
Yame, Fukuoka
Address : 6338 Hanazuru, Kita-Ofuchi, Kuroki-cho, Yame, Fukuoka 834-1201
About YAMECHA (Yame Tea)- Episode 2
Yame City is in a vast expanse of plain in Chikushi Region (Chikushi Plain) in the south of Fukuoka Prefecture (4987 km2, pop. 5 million). Chikushi Plain is blessed with an ideally wonderful climate and fertile soil conditions for agricultural production. In particular, the area ranging from Chikugo River basin to Yabe River basin (called as Yame Region) has produced green tea for centuries. Thanks to the area's particular soil, most of the green tea produced in this region has a full-bodied taste and a remarkable sweetness.
Morning mists and river fogs are very frequent. Curtains of fog wrap green tea plantations, properly blocking sunlight. This helps generating more amino acids (including theanine, glutamic acid, arginine, etc.) within the tea leaves.
In addition, Yame enjoys an inland climate-high temperature during daytime and very low temperatures at night. Finally, the region receives an annual rainfall of 1,600 mm to 2,400 mm. These features are ideal for green tea production.
About OCHA-NO-CHIYONO-EN - Yabei
Masashi HARASHIMA has been running a tea business for 37 years. He is the third-generation president of Ocha-no-Chiyono-en, which was founded by his grandfather in 1950. They started to grow organic Kocha in 2012, at their tea fields located at a fairly high altitude of 500-650 meters. In 2019, Harashima-san and his wife opened a beautiful cafe where you can now discover and buy all their teas and Kocha's confectioneries.
Creation : 1950
Certification : Nihoncha (Japanese tea) Instructor / Sencha-dou Master of Kofu Sencha Reifu School
Favorite Yame Tea : Kocha
A word for International : "I hope more and more people from overseas will enjoy Japanese green tea and Kocha. "