Shizuoka teas are enjoyed everywhere in Japan. As mentioned before, tea blenders produce loose leaf teas by using some of crude teas made in various tea estates. Some specialty tea stores blend crude teas made by some tea factories located in the same tea estate. They place a significance on the features of crude tea specific to each tea estate, for example aroma, tannin, infusion properties, suitability for each degree of firing etc.
In this post, I’d like to share the information about tea stores in Aizu Wakamatsu city.
1. Ishidoen Chaho
Ishidoen offers specialty teas made in great tea estates, such as Umegashima in Shizuoka, Ureshino in Saga, Yame in Fukuoka.
Specialty teas made from crude teas produced in some tea estates, such as Shizuoka, Kagoshima, Yame and Ureshino.
Umegashima tea estate in Shizuoka has a range of altitude between 700 and 1,000m, which is the highest altitude among tea estates in Japan.
The blender in this tea store produces loose leaf teas by blending mainly Shizuoka tea and Kagoshima tea. The hot selling product in the store is “Oimatsu”, blended with Shizuoka tea and Kagoshima tea.
Special blend Sencha. Flagship loose leaf tea “Oimatsu” is made from crude teas produced in Shizuoka and Kagoshima.
The blender has challenged to create new types of tea, which suits for the local taste. As a result, they developed “Aizu-san Koshihikari Genmai Iri Hojicha”, which means the roasted tea blended with roasted cereals including “Koshihikari” rice made in Aizu region.
This product contains roasted tea, roasted brown rice of Koshihikari, roasted buckwheat and roasted black bean. A carpet of white blossoms viewed from the window of local train indicates buckwheat is one of local specialty products in Aizu region. These roasted cereals add and enhance toasty aroma. The staff told that brewing by boiled water is recommended to maximize the toasty aroma.
< Shop information >
Location : 1 chome 8-11, Omachi, Aizuwakamatsu city, Fukushima pref.
Facebook : Ishidoen
2. Fujino-en
Fujino-en produces their main products blended with special crude teas produced in a few tea factories, which located on the mountainside along with Abe River in Shizuoka city. Higher altitude and valley along with Abe River provide a special environment to grow tea shoots of highly condensed flavor. The temperature difference between daytime and nighttime stimulates tea plants resulting in the accumulation of nutrients and metabolites in tea shoots, the vail of fog brings slower decline of amino acids in tea shoot with growing, resulting in higher content of umami.
Flagship products of this store are “Abe-no-Sato” and “Fujino-en”, displayed on the top of shelf.
“Abe-no-Sato”, which mean “a village along with Abe River”, is blended with fine crude teas produced in some tea factories located on the mountainside along with Abe River in Shizuoka city.
“Fujino-en” is also made from crude teas produced in tea factories on mountainside in Shizuoka prefecture, mainly Fuji region (foot of Mt. Fuji) and Abe region.
Both of them are highly aromatic! In addition to the abundance of aroma and its precursors in crude teas due to growing on higher altitude, Fujino-en conducts relatively strong firing in the tea processing, providing loose leaf teas with additional aroma and flavor.
An aromatic cup of tea for tasting. The color of infusion is not so deep, indicating the loose leaf tea is light steamed Sencha.
Fujinoen sells other specialty teas, such as the best prized Sencha in the all Japan competition of Sencha, single cultivar tea “Asatsuyu” which is called as “Gyokuro without shade growing” due to its higher umami content.
3. Kishu-en
Kishu-en preferentially selects fine crude teas of Yabukita cultivar made by some tea factories in Shizuoka and blended them to produce their special flavor suiting for modern local taste. The blender refines teas to enhance their aroma and adjust their scent more fresh.
A line of loose leaf teas of Kishuen.
It is described on the package that loose leaf tea of Kishuen is blended crude tea of Yabukita cultivar produced in Shizuoka and refined to adjust the aroma more fresh note suitting to modern local taste.
This tea store serves an ice tea, brewed by Kyusu apparatus in front of us. The bright green color of tea infusion delights our eyes. (Unfortunately I could not take the picture because of limited time)
The coexistence of deep green color and fresh fragrance implies their sophisticated skill of blending and potential of crude teas used for the loose leaf tea. In general, deep green color of Sencha requires shading process for some days before plucking. Shade growing provide higher content of chlorophyll, and at the same time bring thicker note like “nori”, plate-shaped dried seaweeds. Some customers prefer less “nori”-like aroma, dimethyl sulfide, which is generated in tissues in tea leaves during shading. Thus tea blenders requires the compatibility of deep green color and fresh aroma, in other words, tea farmers are required to control the degree and period of shading, which is enough to increase green color of chlorophyll and simultaneously not excessive for maintaining lower content of dimethyl sulfide.
< Shop information >
Location : 1 chome 1-55, Omachi, Aizuwakamatsu city, Fukushima pref.
Website : Kishuen
Aizu Wakamatu, this “Samurai city” has many sites to visit. For example, Tsuruga Castle, the grave for “Byakko warriors”, Lake Inawashiro etc.
When you visit Aizu Wakamatu, it is recommended to drop to these tea shops, located along “NOGUCHI Hideyo Seishun Street“.
Bronze statue of Byakko Warriors in front of Aizu Wakamats Station. Aizu Wakamatsu famous for its various histric sites! Let’s enjoy trip through Aizu Wakamatsu city with drinking Sencha teas of local taste!!