Japan's tea growing regions-Kyushu Island

The Tea Detective
Uncovering and Exploring the Facts About Tea

Where Japan's Tea Grows
Kyushu Island

Kyushu is Japan's southernmost island and its tea gardens thrive in the northern and southern
  regions. Kyushu Island was once considered the gateway into Japan from China and Korea. To
  the north of Kyushu lies one of the world's largest volcanoes, Aso-San, with a huge five peak
  caldera.

Kyushu has been growing tea for centuries and
has kept up with the times (as far as their tea in-
dustry is concerned).

From the fields, where the tea is planted in
perfect, concise rows allowing for large high
volume mechanical harvesting machines that give
an even pluck, to the shiny bright state-
of-the-art factories that process it, the tea industry
here is one of the most modern and efficient.

Because Kyushu is the southernmost tea produc-
ing region in Japan, spring arrives here first, mean-
ing it provides the first spring teas of the season.
Called shincha, this can be any tea harvested first,
from sencha to tencha to matcha.

Kagoshima prefecture lies to the south and is

Japan's second largest tea producing area next to Shizuoka prefecture on Honshu Island. The
Bay of Kagoshima protects the city from the volatile active volcano, Sakurajima, lying to the west
of Kagoshima City.

Kagoshima's climate is ideal for growing tea, with warm air and cool bay
breezes. The rich, purely vegetal tasting tencha leaves used to make
brothy, full flavored matcha are grown here. Produced from the Sakurajima
variety of tea bush, the bushes are shaded and covered with traditional
black kabuse nets.

Other teas grown in Kagoshima include kamairi-cha (or kamairicha), a
green tea that is pan fired and hand rolled in large metal pans or woks
over a regulated heat source much like Chinese pan fired green teas are,
rather than steamed like most other Japanese teas.

The best matcha is also grown here, coming in early spring as shincha in the pre-harvest, before
the main harvest begins.

Because of the large areas of flat terrain, some of Japan's largest tea farms are on Kyushu
Island. This means most of the tea is able to be planted in rows wide enough to accommodate
the girth of the large high volume mechanical harvesters.

Because it can produce large quantities of tea economically, Kagoshima produces the cheapest
teas in all Japan. But what it gains in economy, it loses in quality.

They also grow Kagoshima sencha and a tea that's called "gyokuro sencha," which is an entirely
sun grown tea that still produces the higher levels of amino acids as that of shade grown teas.
The end result has the lemony flavor of a sencha with the mouth filling vegetal flavor and brothi-
ness of a gyokuro.

Going north you'll find the Kumamoto and Miyazaki prefectures which also
grown sencha. In the far north are Fukuoka and Saga prefectures, contri-
buting flavorful, sweet sencha and gyokuro teas. Kamairi-cha is produced
in Saga, located in the Ureshino region, and the Yame region, located in
Fukuoko, is Japan's largest producer of gyokuro.

Last but not least is bancha which grows in all three tea producing regions,
Uji, Shizuoka, and Kyushu. Bancha is harvested about 15 to 20 days after
the younger sencha shoots have been harvested.

Bancha leaves are larger and tougher, but as the season goes on the
chemical composition of the leaves change. By the time harvesting begins the smooth, mild
tasting polyphenols have been replaced by more harsh astringent ones, along with losing the
majority of amino acids.

The end result is a more lemony tasting, lighter tea. It might not have the refinement or smooth
ness of sencha, but it's still a nice everyday sipping tea and is great as an iced tea. Enjoy.

For more information or to learn more about tea, visit our other
pages:

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season, and its majestic terrain.

Visit The Tea Detective sitemap for a listing of all site pages

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accessories, visit:
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The teas of Japan - where age old tradition meets new age demand.
Follow the history of tea drinking in Japan beginning around the eighth century Nara period through
today and the bright, shiny new state-of-the-art factories that turn out some of the finest teas. (For a
great selection of quality Japanese teas visit Silver Leaf Tea Co.).

Learn how Japanese teas are made.
A close-up look at the nine step manufacturing process for Japan's green teas, from the field through
the first six steps to produce crude tea, or aracha, and on to the last three refining steps for a finished
tea or shiagecha. (Try Silver Leaf Tea's , Genmaicha tea, a mild, savory tea that's low in caffeine, made
with bancha green tea, popped corn, and toasted hulled rice kernels to give it a mellow toasted flavor).

What type and styles of tea are grown in Japan?
Learn about Japan's teas, the types and styles grown there, and a brief description of each one, along
with growing cycles, harvesting times, and processing methods. Also which teas are exported and
found in and outside the U.S., and online.

Where were Japan's first tea gardens located?
Learn about Japan's world famous tea gardens and the historical city where tea first arrived in the 800's,
and is still grown there today, producing most of Japan's finest quality teas.

Where is the majority of Japan's tea grown?
Japan's tea is located in three main tea growing regions. Learn about Shizuoka prefecture, the largest
of the three, its climate, growing season, number of harvests, and which teas are grown there.

Teas of the World
Over fifty countries produce tea today. Learn which countries are in the top ten for tea production and
exports, and which new up and coming countries are producing the teas you can expect to see in your
cup in the near future.

When and where was tea first discovered?
Learn the early history of tea, from its discovery, through the mid-16th century and China's early trade
with Europe.

Receive A Guide To Tea, an 88-page book on the history and enjoyment of tea free with your first Adagio Teas order of $19 or more.

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