Shiranami Kabusecha
Yoshida MeichaenShelf-shaded for around two weeks, this Samidori kabusecha from Uji combines the sweetness and umami of a gyokuro with the body and structure of a sencha. Shading the tea plants from the sun causes them to produce fewer bitter-tasting catechins and instead make more sweet and savoury amino acids such as L-theanine.
Uji city in Kyoto prefecture has long been at the centre of Japanese tea and has been famed for its high-quality matcha production for centuries, dating back to the 12th century. The shading method used to produce modern matcha (c. 15th century) along with sencha (1737) and gyokuro itself (1835) were all invented by Uji farmers looking to push the boundaries of tea quality.
Though the name Ujicha remains associated with high-grade tea, most tea branded as Ujicha is produced in the neighbouring towns of Ujitawara, Minamiyamashiro, Kizugawa, and primarily Wazuka.
Brewing Instructions
Traditional
Hot Tea
Use 5 g (0.18 oz) of tea leaves for every 100 ml (3.38 oz) of water
Heat your water to 65º C (149º F) or cool boiling water by pouring it into a yuzamashi, into the cups, then into the teapot
Let it steep for 1 minute and 30 seconds before pouring slowly until the last drop. Enjoy!
Iced Sencha
Bright and Refreshing
Use 5 g (0.18 oz) of tea leaves for every 100 ml (1.70 oz) of water
Heat your water to 70º C (158º F) or cool boiling water by pouring it into the cups, then into the teapot
Let it steep for 60 seconds before pouring over a glass of ice
Cold Brew (Mizudashi)
Sweet and Smooth
Add 10 g (0.35 oz) of tea to a vessel
Pour in 400 ml (13.5 oz) of cold water
Wait 30 min - 2 hr until it has achieved the desired strength
Yoshida Meichaen (吉田銘茶園)
The leader of Yoshida Meichaen is 16th generation farmer Riichi Yoshida (吉田利一) who has been working alongside his younger brother for over 65 years. They are helped out by their sons who will become the 17th generation owners of the farm. Riichi-san is also the Chairman of the Uji Tea Hand-rolling Preservation Association, preserving the hand-rolling method of his grandfather which was certified as an intangible cultural property.
Founded over 200 years ago, the small 2 hectare tea fields of Yoshida Meichaen are nestled in the Ogura district of Uji. When they started growing here, their fields were surrounded by many other farms, but in the past 30 years, these tea fields were replaced by houses and buildings as the city of Uji grew.
Though the scenery may have changed, the Yoshida family still produces tea using traditional methods, such as hand-rolling, hand-picking, honzu straw shading, and sorting tea using traditional bamboo screens rather than modern metal sieves. They have competed in the National Tea Competition every year since it started over 75 years ago, and have won 1st place in the over 20 times.
Since the 14th generation, the Yoshida family has also been entrusted with the management of one of the oldest tea gardens in Kyoto, and perhaps in Japan, at Kosanji Temple in Toganoo, where the bushes were sown with seeds brought from Song Dynasty China by Eisai.