Iruma, Saitama

Sayama tea from Iruma is mainly deep stemmed green tea.

The tea gardens stretch between local houses on flat land.

Sayama tea is loved by the locals, this local has a few words regarding the tea:

“Color is Shizuoka, Aroma is Uji, and Taste is Sayama which is the best”

Masuoka en

FROM IRUMA, SAITAMA

Sayama tea from Iruma is mainly deep stemmed green tea. The tea gardens stretch between local houses on flat land. Sayama tea is loved by the locals, this local has a few words regarding the tea: “Color is Shizuoka, Aroma is Uji, and Taste is Sayama which is the best”

Due to the cold weather the tea trees in the Sayama tea farms won’t consume energy over a winter. So the tea leaves are storing a beautiful flavor and taste when it is plucked in in the spring. Deep-stemmed green tea has been mainly produced there for a long time because the tea leaves grown in cold weather are hard and thick. Also it tends to be heated stronger to produce aroma because Sayama teas have less Catechin that creates the aroma of tea. Additionally it produces a sweeter taste while not having much Catechin producing astringency and aroma.

We generally don’t have issues with bugs due to the increase in their predators. However, hairy caterpillars are a problem. If you touch them when weeding a tea garden by hand, you will get serious rashes. So we use a biological pesticide only when we find many of them. Giant hornets love living in organic farms so we have a special tool for emergency treatment in case we are stung by them.

I’m the 15th owner of our farm, we have been managing it for 450 years. Regretfully, only my father and I used chemical pesticides in the history of our farm. Regarding that point, I’m just doing what it used to be and hope to continue this farm in an organic way for the next 400 years. Interestingly enough, even if you have a JAS organic certificate, you are allowed to use greenhouses and a lot of imported organic pesticides for farming. I will continuously question myself, what is organic? What is true sustainability?

I consider tea as a medicine. I’d like you to drink tea when you are in poor shape or when you are feeling down. Especially as for your mental condition, you will be able to be truly relaxed when your tea is reliable and safe, won’t you? As you are what you eat, I’d like to recommend organic and pesticide-free food and drink to especially young people.

Ocha we proud

Organic Fukamushi tea

有機深蒸し茶