Why Shizuoka
Shizuoka's tea terraces rise from the coast into the foothills of the Southern Alps. Cool mornings, misty valleys, and volcanic soil give the region the climate that most Japanese tea producers think of as ideal. The first tea seeds were planted here in the 13th century; by the Meiji era, Shizuoka was out-producing Uji many times over.
The terroirs of Shizuoka
- Honyama β the steep mountain district behind Shizuoka city. Small-leaf, high-elevation senchas with a floral, almost spring-water clarity.
- Kawane β deep river valleys. Slow-brewing, layered, deeply aromatic senchas.
- Makinohara β the vast, flat plateau inland from Shizuoka. The birthplace of fukamushi (deep-steamed) sencha β fuller, cloudier, richer cups.
- TenryΕ« β cool mountain district in the west. Delicate, fine-needle senchas.
The archetypal Shizuoka flavour
If someone asks what "Japanese green tea" tastes like, the honest answer is "something very much like a Shizuoka sencha". Clean, grassy, a little floral, a mineral backbone, a gentle sweet finish. Not as umami-heavy as Kyushu teas, not as delicate as Uji. This is the balanced middle.
Shincha β first flush
Shizuoka's first-flush shincha typically ships from late April. It's the flagship Japanese tea event of the year, and Shizuoka shincha is usually the most widely available overseas.
Producers to know
- Marufuku Seicha β a reliable Makinohara producer with classic fukamushi senchas.
- Yamatoen β Honyama mountain senchas, exported to specialty shops worldwide.
- Kaneroku Matsumoto Tea Farm β a small family operation whose wakocha and single-cultivar senchas have a cult following.
Recommended Shizuoka teas
Try the most-drunk tea in Japan
Shizuoka sencha is the baseline against which every other Japanese tea is tasted.
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