Honyama tea is known as one of the finest teas even in Shizuoka prefecture, which is home to many high quality teas. This green tea is produced at a small farm which is about 640m above sea level (a height that is near the limit at which green tea can be produced) and which is located in Okawa, which has deep ties to this tea’s historical origin. This highly fragrant tea has a legendary taste characterized by a strong flavor that strikes a balance between savouriness, sweetness, astringency and bitterness.

A yearly output of just 600kg ensures this crop can be cultivated and processed in the strictest accordance with techniques that yield an orthodox green tea. This fine sencha offers the distinctive taste of the “mountain tea” for which Shizuoka is known.

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. This estate is located on highlands over 600m above sea level, an elevation considered close to the upper limit for green tea production.

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.

Yabukita is a cultivar bred from carefully selected native Japanese green tea strains. This superb varietal accounts for close to 75% of Japanese green tea production. Noted for its rich, deep umami, modest balance of bitterness and astringency, and elegant aroma.

Estates producing fine green tea generally utilize a pruning technique to regulate the growth of the stems, thereby improving the final flavor. This estate goes further, practicing a careful, shallow pruning technique to grow bushes with small quantities of very high quality leaves.

Even today, the “shikikusa” technique is used to keep the soil fertile. Grasses inhabiting nearby hills and fields are collected and matted into a groundcover placed between rows of the plantation. This traditional technique requires an exceeding amount of effort and is generally avoided for that reason, but it is indispensable in the production of quality green tea: the soil bed retains heat and moisture and helps produce magnesium, a key component in green tea’s aroma.。