Cup of Japan’s purpose is to sustain the tea growing heritage & craft in Japan through direct and meaningful collaboration with the farmers. We recently had the pleasure of spending the day at MaruMaru farm, one of our closest partners. The MaruMaru family runs a relatively small field in Makinohara City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
The story of tea cultivation in this region is quite unique: entering the Meiji era from Edo, many samurai abandoned their warrior life to become farmers introducing tea cultivation to the Makinohara Plateau. Kyouaki Nakajo, who was a member of the Shinsengumi group, put all his energy into cultivating tea and eventually built the foundations of what later became the renown "Shizuoka Makinohara Tea" famous for its rich aroma.
Yamamoto-san, the current owner of MaruMaru tea, is a 3rd generation tea grower and is building upon the families impressive 100+ year legacy. His moto is "Not ever a year resembles another, every day brings its own challenge"一度たりとも同じような年はなく、毎日が挑戦".
MaruMaru has developed techniques to achieve an extraordinary preservation of their soil quality ensuring a consistent taste whilst preserving distinctive "umami" flavors. MaruMaru has received awards for their teas, however they don't wish to boast and are simply honored that people around the world enjoy their product.
We currently have two teas from MaruMaru. One is made from the Saemidori cultivar which is called SAMURAI as a respectful nod to the regions warrior origins. The second is an incredibly unique tea grown using a special cultivar (Tsuyu-Hikari) - this is called AO (blue) to reflect its beautiful emerald hue. In addition to its colour, its taste offers a perfect balance and a hint of chestnut.
We are proud to collaborate with MaruMaru & support his craft and we plan to launch another MaruMaru tea soon and a special set in the coming months.
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After 20+ years travelling around Japan, enjoying green tea and meeting farmers, we got to see first-hand the difficulties they faced and understand the real threat to the industry’s future – even before COVID hit.
We started selling tea in June and are incredibly proud of the small-part we are already playing in sustaining the growing craft in Japan by introducing unique high-quality teas to new audiences around the world. A few highlights from 2020 include:
Thank you for visiting/ following/ sharing/ buying Cup of Japan – we are inspired by your support and will continue working towards our purpose.
Hoping 2021 is a better year for all!
]]>The ways in which we support and partner with local Japanese growers to achieve this are:
We are proud to be driven by this purpose and pleased with what we have been able to achieve since we started in June 2020.
We strive to continue building our farmer community across Japan to help as many farmers as possible, whilst working with them to hand-select and curate the most unique and highest quality small-batch teas for our customers.
]]>Their farm is about 1.5 hectares in size, which is equivalent to about 3 footballs fields. They grow a number of cultivars on this land and they specialise in very small-batch green-tea.
They are very unique in their approach too. They have been cultivating premium Japanese green tea for over 80 years, but for the last 27 years have been completely organic - which is quite rare in Japan. Iwakura-san said he made this decision to ensure the whole process was as natural as possible so the soil and plants were nutrient-rich producing tasty high-quality tea.
The Iwakura family couldn't have chose a better spot for their natural approach. Their plants are situated high-up in the windy hills of Shizuoka with a view of the ocean in a very remote location (we wouldn't have been able to have found it or got there without them).
We really enjoyed our time with them and will soon be collaborating on 3 new unique small-batch green teas - all uniquely named to recognize the importance of nature at the Iwakura Farm.
]]>We discovered a unique tea farmer, pioneer in organic tea farming in Japan.
Cup Of Japan brings to you unique teas from Sayama.
]]>We met with Masuoka-san, 14th descendent of a lineage of tea farmers, ensuring the continuation of a unique tea-growing tradition.
The only producer of Organic Tea in the Sayama district, they produce teas offering a distinct balance between flavour, umami and tannic aromas.
One of the essential concepts of organic farming is to work with nature, find ways to produce by leveraging the ecosystem.
When we visited the farm, we realized that the field did not have only tea trees but also weeds, organic farmers leverage local banker plants, such as HotokeNoZa (仏の座), to preserve a natural ecosystem but also prevents from damage caused by insects.
]]>Cup Of Japan is currently in conversation to purchase Masuoka's top tea selection, the products are expected to be available on cupofjapan.com by end of 2020
Sencha is the most common and well-known variety of green tea.
The basic process is to steam the tea leaves and roll to produce crude tea; there are key differentiations among the techniques to process Sencha tea leaves, and here is a rough summary of the major Japanese sencha designations:
Fukamushi Sencha 深蒸煎茶Fukamushi means "steamed for a long time."
It is a green tea that has been steamed approximately twice as long as regular Sencha, usually called Fukamushi Sencha or Fukamushi Ryokucha.
Since the leaves have been thoroughly exposed to the steam's heat, they become powdery and the tea takes on a stronger taste and darker green color. It does not have a "grassy" odor or astringency.
Gyokuro: Considered top-end of SenchaGyokuro is a type of green tea grown using covered culture, the tea bushes are covered with cloth or reed screen (covered culture) approximately 20 days prior to picking.
By limiting the amount of light that reaches the new shoots while they are growing, the generation of catechins from amino acids (theanine) is suppressed, resulting in lower astringency and a rich flavour; its aroma is often compared to "nori" seaweed.
For approximately one week prior to picking, Kabusecha bushes have reed screen or cloth placed over them to block out most sunlight. This enables new leaf shoots to grow without sunlight, giving the tea a darker green colour, full-bodied flavour and lower astringency than Sencha.
This tea is mainly used as the ingredient for Matcha. Similar to Gyokuro, the raw leaves used for Tencha are grown according to the covered culture method. After steaming, the leaves are dried without being rolled. After removing stalks and leaf veins, the tea leaf flecks become Tencha. Generally, the period for which Tencha that is stoneground and eventually becomes what we call Matcha.
Tencha that is stoneground is called Matcha.
Dark Matcha (Koicha) is used in Japan's traditional tea ceremony and was previously made from the leaves of very old tea bushes - over 100 years old.
Matcha is also used extensively in the making of traditional Japanese confections and various dishes.
Genmaicha derives its name from the Japanese word for "brown rice," which is rice that still retains the bran covering of the rice grain. The soaked and steamed brown rice is roasted and popped, and is mixed with Sencha or other tea.
One may enjoy the combination of the savoriness of roasted brown rice and the refreshing flavor of Sencha. Since brown rice is mixed in, Genmaicha has a low caffeine content.
Hojicha is made by roasting Sencha or other types of green tea, which gives it a distinctive roasted aroma.
The tea leaves are roasted in a roasting pan at a temperature of approximately 200C degrees and then immediately cooled. Through roasting, Hojicha becomes less bitter.
Shincha is the "new tea" or first picking of the season. Picking begins in temperate regions and gradually moves northward.
Shincha and Ichibancha are essentially the same tea, with the difference being in name only.
During the winter, tea bushes store up nutrients essential to the growth of both spring shoots and new leaves, which are lush and packed with nutrients. These new leaves become Shincha.
The 88th day after the first day of spring according to the traditional calendar (February 4) is called "Hachijuhachi-ya." In Japan, a traditional belief since old times is that if one drinks tea picked on this day one will enjoy the year in sound health and good spirits.
Shincha's key characteristic is its refreshing and invigorating scent of new leaves. Another feature of Shincha is its low catechin and caffeine content, making it less bitter and astringent compared with Nibancha or Sanbancha. Shincha tends to have a higher content of amino acids (theanine), which give it full-bodied flavor and sweetness.
Ichibancha is the first picking of new leaf shoots of the year.
After that, tea is called Nibancha and Sanbancha based on the order in which it is picked.
Ichibancha is sometimes called Shincha. Ichibancha is used more extensively than the later harvested Nibancha and Sanbancha.
Shincha includes the meaning of "first picking of the year" (Hatsumono) and is also called "in-season" tea.
In some tea-growing regions, there is also "Shutobancha" picked in early fall, with no Sanbancha being picked.
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The three most famous types of Uji tea are “sencha,” “maccha” (aka “matcha”) and “gyokuro.”
The leaves are identical, but the cultivation and processing techniques produce different flavors.
Sencha is perhaps the most common type of green tea enjoyed by Japanese people. The leaves gets lots of sunlight and are then steamed, kneaded and dried.
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Yokota-san himself is at least a 6th generation tea grower. The family documents were unfortunately burnt 100 years ago so the heritage is likely much longer.
Yokota’s Aracha Green Tea is a special tea produced using the entire leaf which gives MEGUMI a distinct rawness and full-bodied taste. Yokata-san believes Aracha tea is the perfect wake-up call in the morning and helps avoid any unfortunate events in the day.
The Yokota family farm is renowned for producing premium green tea and their tea was once used to serve the Emperor of Japan.
]]>In short: it’s quite cold there, which means the tea plants have evolved and work extra hard to survive by growing thick leaves. When processed into tea, these thick leaves deliver a distinct rich flavour and the highest levels of beneficial antioxidants found in tea - this is why Cup of Japan targets the Sayama region for the best green tea.
Sayama is in the Saitama prefecture (North-west of Tokyo) and produces the finest green teas in Japan, but only in small-batches. Tea from Sayama is quite rare as tea production is much smaller than in other tea-growing regions and Sayama green tea rarely travels far from Japan due to its popularity & limited availability. We have made it our mission to help international tea-lovers discover and access green tea that was previously unavailable.
Sayama is also close to Cup of Japan’s Tokyo base so convenient for ongoing communication and collaboration with our local farming communities.
Cup of Japan has worked with local farmers to curate a number of distinct Sayama teas (Matcha & Sencha) which are available individually or as a set at www.CupofJapan.com
]]>Firstly full disclosure: we are not chemists, doctors or the next big answer to COVID-19, but green tea is said to deliver a number of health benefits to its human drinkers. After all the Japanese drink it daily and enjoy the longest life expectancy in the world. Coincidence perhaps and obviously many other factors to consider, but there is a growing body of scientific research that confirm the health benefits of green tea – worth a quick google.
Green Tea is loaded with good stuff and one of these elements is Catechins (a type of polyphenol). Catechins are a naturally occurring element found in plants; it helps plants to protect themselves and repair damage, and has also been found to be a powerful antioxidant for us. Catechins also deliver the astringency (tannins) hit in green tea. Green tea in particular delivers a more potent dose of catechins and antioxidants than other teas as oxidation is minimized in the production process – also the whole leaf is generally used. Some of the many health benefits of drinking catechins in green tea may include:
Catechins are just one of the elements in green tea and there are plenty of others which are also of benefit to our bodies. If you need any further evidence, anecdotally, we have also heard on a number of occasions that doctors in Japan regularly advise their patients to gargle with green tea (usually sencha) to prevent and cure colds & flus.
So there you go, Green tea is probably the healthiest beverage on the planet thanks primarily to the Catechins… and you can discover, buy and enjoy the best small-batch green tea direct from Japan at www.CupofJapan.com.
]]>To help tea-lovers navigate this and more easily discover, compare and enjoy the best small-batch green tea direct from the farmers in Japan, we have added simple tasting profiles to each product page and a FIND TEA section to our website.
Find your tea here: https://www.cupofjapan.com/pages/find-small-batch-green-tea
]]>Not a big green tea drinker? Or only a fan of Matcha? Well MEBAE is the perfect introduction to Japanese sencha green tea. It’s delicate and fresh aroma & taste is achieved through WAKAMUSHI processing where the leaves are lightly steamed for a short period.
MEBAE can be enjoyed at any time and is agile enough to pair with most foods and occasions – below are a few suggestions of how wakamushi sencha can add a fresh and light bounce to your day:
The farmer for MEBAE is Okutomi-san and it comes from the Sayama region in Japan: view full profile for MEBAE. All our unique small-batch green teas are direct from the local farmers in Japan and help sustain their craft.
]]>We work closely with communities of small-batch Japanese green tea farmers to sustain their business & craft by agreeing fair pricing arrangements and providing a direct link from their farms to new customers around the world.
Supporting the green tea farmers has become more critical than ever due to COVID-19 as a number of usually dependable large orders are not there from the likes of hotels and restaurants.
The first harvest has recently completed and our farmers have an abundance of the freshest and best quality green tea, which is putting a question mark over the second harvest and, potentially more tragically, the future of green tea growing in Japan.
Cup of Japan is currently working with the farmers to select their finest small-batch green teas to sell through our platform. If you are interested to learn more or buy green tea from the first harvest, please view our products here: https://www.cupofjapan.com/collections/all
]]>Cup of Japan’s mission is to increase international discovery and understanding of our farmers’ premium small-batch green tea, and one of the ways we try to achieve this is through our original packaging as the diagrams below illustrate:
We are passionate about sharing several hundred years of green tea tradition in new ways to sustain our farmers craft and allow easier access to the hidden world of Japanese tea.
Access our original small-batch green tea and support the craft of our local farmers here: www.CupofJapan.com (please click on each of our products to learn more about their unique Kanji names).
]]>Things to keep in mind if you plan to drop ship some organic labelled products from Japan
]]>Importing organic food products can be sometimes difficult to follow as every country or regional unions have their own regulations.
Definition of Organic Food
Organic food general definition: the product of a farming system which avoids the use of man-made fertilisers, pesticides; growth regulators and livestock feed additives. Irradiation and the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or products produced from or by GMOs are generally prohibited by organic legislation.
According to UK DEFRA
Cup Of Japan is not specialised in customs regulations, this article is to help shed some light on a subject that is often misinterpreted.
The use the label "organic product" is subject to clearing condition pre-established by a country's regulations.
Must follow criteria for production methods, storage and packaged products are registered.
In Japan, the system is called the Japanese Agricultural Standard (JAS) and controlled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF)
The JAS System refers to the certification system to attach the JAS marks to the products inspected in accordance with the JAS established by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The JAS are voluntary other than JAS Standards for Organic Foods. The only Certified Business Entities such as producers and manufacturers can attach JAS marks to the products.rules are called the Japan Agricultural Standard or JAS for short. JAS certified organic means that the product can be sold as an organic product within Japan with a JAS logo. It has no legal meaning in other countries unless that country accepts the JAS logo/certification.
EU: Japan has recognised for the purpose of equivalence since 30 May 2010.
USA: Japan is recognised for the purpose of equivalence since 26 September 2013.
As long as the terms of the arrangement are met, Japanese organic products certified to the USDA / EU organic standards or Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS) may be sold, labelled, and represented as organic in both countries. As long as the operation is certified by a
USDA / EU accredited or Japan-accredited certifying agent, this arrangement facilitates access to each country’s organic market.
Useful Links
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All teas plants are from the family of Camellia Sinensis.
Two main subdivision
Assam: a tall tree with large leaves
Chinese: a shorter tree with small leaves.
It is thought that tea trees are originally from Southeast Asia, with the first tea production in the southern part of China’s current Yunnan province.
Since 1978, several archeology research projects led to discovering roots of the Camellia Sinenses plant and pottery in the Tianluo mountains that were estimated to be 7,000 years old. Tianluo Mountain is a part of an archaeological site for the neolithic Hemudu culture, which flourished between 7000 BC and 6000 BC. Confirming
This confirmed it must have been the Hemudu culture, flourishing in 7,000 BC and 6000 BC, that started cultivating and brewing tea.
Shen Nong and the beginning of tea drinking
Chinese classical legend of Shennong, (神農, "God Farmer"), said to have lived some 4,000 years ago; founder of agriculture and forestry as well as basic Chinese Medicine.
In one popular Chinese legend, Shennong was drinking a bowl of just-boiled water due to a decree that his subjects must boil water before drinking it sometime around 2737 BC when a few leaves were blown from a nearby tree into his water, changing the color; the emperor took a sip of the brew and was pleasantly surprised by its flavor and restorative properties.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_tea#Geographic_origins
The first reference to tea in Japan appears in records of the Nara period (710–794), a period when Japan sent diplomatic missions to Chang'an, the capital of China's Tang dynasty (618–907).
In 804, the Buddhist monks Kūkai and Saichō arrived in China to study religion as part of a government-sponsored mission during the Heian period (794–1185). The Shōryōshū (814) mentions that Kūkai drank tea during his time in China. He returned to Japan in the year 806.
Kūkai is also the first to use the term chanoyu (茶の湯), which later came to refer specifically to the Japanese tea ceremony. Upon their return to Japan, Kūkai and Saichō founded the Shingon and Tendai schools of Buddhism, respectively. One or both of them are thought to have brought back the first tea seeds to Japan during this trip. Saichō, who returned in 805, is often credited for being the first to plant tea seeds in Japan, although the documentary evidence is uncertain.
Eisai and the popularization of tea
The Zen monk Eisai (1141–1215), founder of the Rinzai school of Buddhism, is generally credited for popularizing tea in Japan.
In 1191, Eisai returned from a trip to China and brought back tea seeds which he planted on the island of Hirado, and in the mountains of Kyushu.
He also gave some seeds to the monk Myōe, abbot of the Kōzan-ji temple in Kyoto. Myōe planted these seeds in Toganoo (栂尾) and Uji, which became the sites of the first large scale cultivation of tea in Japan.
At first, Toganoo tea was seen as the finest in Japan, and was called "real tea" (本茶 honcha), as opposed to "non-tea" (非茶 hicha) produced elsewhere in Japan. By the 15th century, however, Uji tea surpassed that of Toganoo, and the terms honcha and hicha came to refer to Uji tea and non-Uji tea.
Sencha
By the 14th century, the practice of drinking powdered brick tea had fallen out of fashion in China. Instead, most tea was hand-fired over a dry wok to stop the process of oxidation, and purchased as loose leaves rather than compressed bricks.
The method of steeping loose tea leaves in hot water came to be known as "boiled tea" (煎茶 sencha), and it soon led to a new way of producing green tea that would work well with this technique. In 1737, an Uji-based tea grower named Nagatani Sōen developed what is now the standard process for making leaf teas in Japan: tea leaves are first steamed, then rolled into narrow needles and dried in an oven.
Sencha grew in popularity over time, and is now the most popular form of tea in Japan, representing 80 percent of all tea produced each year.
]]>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_tea_in_Japan