Ushizuma is one site in Shizuoka where the noted honyamacha is produced. Okuhikari, a premium sencha leaf, is bred with the excellent Cy225 Chinese yabukita strain to produce a green tea that boasts a unique aroma, rich umami, and restrained balance of bitterness and astringency.

Serving this tea over ice releases its distinctive aroma, so it is gaining attention as a new beverage suitable for food pairings. Suitable for everything from Japanese cuisine to Western-style dishes, this tea can easily replace white wine or other alcoholic accompaniments to a meal. A rare, high-quality green tea of which only 200kg are produced yearly.

Ushizuma is located near the Abe River at 400-500 meters elevation. The green tea, produced in the mountainous region of the Abe river and Warashina river basin, is called Honyama tea. It is known as one of the finest teas even in Shizuoka prefecture, which is home to many high quality teas. The “hon” that forms part of its name is a reference to the traditional distinction between “honcha” (“real” tea) which is tea from the region and “hicha” (“false” tea) which is tea from other regions. The history of green tea production in the region dates back 800 years. In the Edo period, the region’s tea became popular across Japan after it was favored by Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu.

The geological layer in this mountainous area extends over 1000m and is called the “Setogawa group”. It is a 30-60 million year old Paleozoic strata which is said to be optimal for the production of green tea. The climate found at higher elevations is said to be the ideal environment for growing tea trees, which are originally mountain crops. Although risks to cultivation increase at higher elevations due to factors such as lower temperatures, it allows for the attainment of a deep fragrance and savouriness that cannot be matched by green tea that is grown in lowland fields.

Cross-fertilizing with a Chinese variety produces a green tea with a remarkably unique aroma. In addition, this hardy plant can sustain cold winters, making it suitable for plantations on high ground – this tea bears the hallmarks of a high quality “mountain” green tea.

Until now, producing new cultivars has been generally avoided over concerns about yield and properly managing the cultivation of new crops. Thanks to the unflagging improvements small-scale farms have made in their growing techniques, production of wider varieties of tea is now becoming a reality. This okuhikari draws on advanced cultivation techniques to better draw out the distinctively rich flavor and unique aroma that are features of sencha.

Leveraging the unique climate available only in mountainous regions, production of this green tea successfully draws out okuhikari’s distinct aroma. No effort is spared: by emphasizing a rich soil bed and using local grasses and organic fertilizer, the resulting crop bears the rich umami and characteristics true of high-quality sencha. Drawing on over twenty years of experience in okuhikari production, our providers have developed a fine, aromatic sencha.