Kabuse Sencha "SAEMIDORI" (Wazuka, Kyoto)

The name Saemidori means "clear, vivid green." True to its name, it brews a bright, clear green liquor, enjoyed together with a full, rich flavor.

Bred from Yabukita and Asatsuyu, Saemidori is known as one of the finest sencha cultivars for its rarity and quality. It is especially rich in umami and sweetness, with almost no astringency.

Grown with care in the natural surroundings of Wazuka, Kyoto, the leaves open in the first infusion with deep umami and sweetness. The second infusion gains depth and moves toward a clean, crisp finish. Cup by cup, the balance of umami and freshness comes forward, showing what makes this cultivar its own.

・About Kabusecha

Kabusecha sits between sencha and gyokuro. The tea fields are covered to block sunlight, which holds back catechins, the compounds behind astringency, and brings out umami and sweetness. Gyokuro is shaded for about 20 days, kabusecha usually for about one week. The result combines the mellow sweetness of gyokuro with the refreshing character of sencha.

・Wazuka, Kyoto — 800 Years of Tea and Morning Mist

Wazuka, a small town in southern Kyoto Prefecture, has been cultivating tea for over 800 years. It is known as one of Japan’s leading tea-producing regions, highly regarded for the quality of its tea in flavor, aroma, and the beautifully needle-shaped form of the leaves.

Surrounded by mountains, Wazuka sits in a basin with a large difference between day and night temperatures. This climate often brings a deep morning mist over the tea fields. More than a beautiful scene, the mist acts like a natural cover, softening the sunlight and creating a gentle environment for the tea plants.

The amino acids that give tea its sweetness and umami can turn into bitter and astringent compounds when exposed to strong sunlight. In Wazuka, however, the morning mist helps protect the leaves from direct sun, allowing them to retain their rich flavor. The land, the climate, and the mist all come together to create tea with a smooth, mellow taste and deep umami.

【 Tea Leaf Storage Instructions 】

・Store unopened tea in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight, heat, and humidity. For extended storage, keep it sealed, freeze, and let it return to room temperature before opening.

・After opening, place the tea in an airtight, opaque container and keep it in a cool, dark place. For best quality, enjoy as soon as possible, ideally within one month.

・Avoid storing near strongly scented items, as tea easily absorbs odors.