NaturaliTea #05: 2023 Sencha Green Tea, Setoya Midori 有機一番摘み煎茶 瀬戸谷みどり NaturaliTea

The taste profile is a simple, easy-to-drink sencha——the deep taste of nature. This sencha comes from the first tea harvest which spans from early to mid-May, including the native species (Zairai) which is the beginning of Japanese tea. Setoya is the name given to the area in Fujieda City, Shizuoka Prefecture, where many of this tea vendor’s fields are located. Please enjoy the unique taste and sweetness of mountain grown tea.

Product Info

• Name: Setoya Midori
  
• Ingredients: 100% Shizuoka-grown green tea leaves
• Harvest: Mid-May harvest
• Cultivar: Yabukita, Zairai
• Cultivation Notes: Grown pesticide free. Fertilized with organic compost.
• Region: Fujieda, Shizuoka
• Vendor type: Family-operated farm cooperative.
• Established: 1976
• Producer: Toshiaki Kinezuka, President, Hito to No, Shizen wo Tsunagu Kai (NaturaliTea)
• Location: 1416-3 Takizawa Fujieda-shi, Shizuoka 426-0134 Japan
• Farm Labor: In addition to their own fields, the Kinezuka family’s company has partnerships with over thirty other neighboring farmers to both research organic farming techniques and work together to produce tea leaves. Leaves are then aggregated and processed into the products below.
• Primary Sales Route: Sold in Japan mostly through phone and fax orders.

Steeping Notes 

Steep in hot water at about 80 ° C for 1 minute.

About the Vendor

NaturaliTea is a private cooperative of farmers managed by the Kinezuka family, whose own tea fields produce over 20% of the cooperative’s teas. Based in the hills of Fujieda, Shizuoka, the cooperative was established nearly 40 years ago by Toshiaki Kinezuka. Farmers in the cooperative develop techniques together to grow tea, rice, and vegetables without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.