Nihoncha Award is a Japanese tea competition held annually to select the best tea of the year. It began in 2014, and this year marked its 10th edition.
What makes this competition unique is that it welcomes both traditional and innovative teas, offering a glimpse into the current landscape of Japanese tea. Each year, more than 500 teas are submitted and evaluated over three rounds. The first two rounds are conducted by tea professionals in Japan, who narrow the selection down to 20 Platinum Award–winning teas. The third and final round, which determines the best tea of the year, is open to the public in Japan and also includes evaluations from abroad.
Our association has been supporting the international segment of the Nihoncha Award’s third round for several years. During this stage, our Tea Catalysts host satellite tea sessions around the world to brew and evaluate the finalist teas. This year, eight of our Tea Catalysts organized evaluations in nine countries across three continents. We were also delighted to host one at our headquarters in Kyoto.
The final results were announced at the Tokyo Tea Party at the end of November. We extend our sincere congratulations to:
- Ochadokoro Shimada from Nagasaki Prefecture, whose sencha in a tea bag was awarded the Japanese Tea Grand Prize;
- Ota Ichiroji Tea Farm from Saga Prefecture, whose new type of fermented tea was awarded the Japanese Tea Runner-up Award, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Agricultural Products Bureau Director-General’s Award;
- Tokkoen Co., Ltd. from Kagoshima Prefecture, whose deep-steamed sencha was awarded the Japan Tea Exporters Association Chairman’s Award.
*Image source: Japoniska Zalia