October is almost the end of the autumn tea harvesting season. The last few tea leaves will be harvested in the next few days and then will come a long period of rest. With the decreasing amount of the field work, there is more time for promotion. Many tea producing prefectures in Japan have been […]
In September summer heats start to subside and the tea harvesting begins again. While we are waiting for the news about the autumn harvest we already have the results of the 74th National Japanese Tea Competition that was held at the end of August. The best gyokuro this year comes from Yame, Fukuoka, while tea […]
April to July is the most intensive time for Japanese tea. In August, when the summer heats hit, tea farm work simmers down. It gives a chance to look back on the two main seasons and evaluate the tea of this year. With that in mind the national Japanese tea competition was held in Kagoshima […]
Still in the middle of the pandemic, in July Japan got hit by another disaster – heavy rain and floods. The devastating effects were felt throughout Kyushu island and central Japan. Sadly, the disaster did not bypass tea and several tea farms in the south got damaged by floods and landslides. The government of Japan […]
Many prefectures in Japan are still in the middle of the second harvest. While we are waiting for the fresh summer tea, we are getting more data about the spring harvest this year. According to the tea research centre in Shizuoka, the growth of the tea this spring was slower than usual. The temperature in […]
May is usually a really busy time for Japanese tea. While some prefectures were in the full swing of harvesting first flush tea (一番茶), Kagoshima prefecture had already started harvesting second flush (二番茶) in the middle of May; and the tea reached Shizuoka tea auction on 21st May. However, except for high grade and shaded […]
To emphasize the world-wide economic and cultural significance of tea, at the end of last year the United Nations designated 21st May as the International Tea Day. Tea cultivation and processing is the main source of income to many families around the world. Some of the biggest tea producing countries, however, are among the poorest […]
April is usually an exciting month for Japanese tea, as that’s when some of the first tea of the year is produced. This year, however, the mood has been a little grim, because of the spread of COVID-19. The tea sales in major cities of Japan have been sluggish and many farmers are worried if […]