Sencha
Crafted by the Nishide family — Meiji-era finishers led today by sixth-dan master taster Takashi Nishide and instructor Atsuko Nishide — this Jyo Sencha celebrates Uji, long regarded as the best region for Japanese green tea. Nishide buys aracha directly from Kyoto growers, then refines it in-house with precise shiage to keep flavor steady year after year. In the cup, expect lucid jade liquor with soft umami, sweet young greens, and a clean, mineral snap. Light, brief shading on some lots adds silk, while sun-grown leaf keeps the classic sencha brightness and poised astringency.
Uji Origin
Uji is the cradle of Japan’s steamed green tea. In 1738, Nagatani Sōen of Ujitawara devised the “Uji method,” the steamed-and-rolled process that defines sencha today. That craft lineage still guides Kyoto growers and finishers. The Uji area’s rolling hills, river mists, and cool nights give leaves a tidy astringency and fine aroma prized in Uji sencha.
Sencha Craft
What is sencha? It’s Japan’s signature green tea: tender shoots are briefly steamed to halt oxidation, then rolled into fine “needles” and gently dried. This lot is classic sencha — lightly “kabuse”-shaded only a few days — so it stays lively and clear rather than dense like long-shaded gyokuro. In Kyoto, Yabukita — a tea cultivar — remains the dependable backbone for balanced, fragrant sencha, joined by local selections in some gardens.
Nishide
Our partner workshop traces its beginnings to the late 19th century. Today, master taster Takashi Nishide — ranked rokudan (全国茶審査技術六段) in Japan’s professional tea-tasting examinations — runs the factory with his wife, Atsuko Nishide, a certified tea instructor. He buys aracha (unrefined green leaf) directly from farmers in Ujitawara and neighboring Kyoto districts, then performs the crucial shiage finishing in-house to calibrate flavor, needle shape, and aroma each year. She leads education and quality culture on the floor. That direct buying and careful finishing explain why the taste stays steady across seasons despite weather swings. The company’s roots are recorded as Meiji-era origins, and their current home is Ujitawara.
Character
A spring-clean profile: pale jade liquor, aromas of young greens and sweet grain, soft umami, and a crisp, cooling finish. It’s an easy daily luxury and a graceful introduction to Organic Uji Sencha. Uji hedgerows are productive for decades; nationally, many gardens carry bushes over 30 years old, a sign of mature fields cared for with skill.
FAQ
What makes Uji Sencha distinct from other Kyoto green teas?
Uji’s cool hills and long craft tradition give a softer, perfumed cup with tidy astringency and clean umami. Finishing in Ujitawara favors clarity and fine needle shape.
Is this truly 100% Kyoto origin?
Yes — leaf is sourced within Kyoto Prefecture and finished locally in Ujitawara for an authentic Uji sencha profile.
Who are Takashi and Atsuko Nishide?
He is a sixth-dan professional tea taster who refines aracha via shiage; she is a certified instructor overseeing education and quality at the factory.
How does short shading change sencha?
A few days of “kabuse” shading rounds bitterness and boosts aroma but keeps sencha lively, unlike the weeks-long shading used for gyokuro.