Chakumi is a small tea store on the local area in Fujisawa city in Kanagawa prefecture, however the small tea store has a big motivation to encourage, promote and re-improve long-established tea estates. The president and chief tea processor of Chakumi has some concepts to promote tea estates. His special concepts are indicated in the products.
The outer appearance of Chakumi tea store.
(1) Specialty Tea for the Sustainable Management of Forest in Tea Estates.
In the long-established tea estates on mountainsides, the aging and subsequent shrinkage of tea farmers’ population has caused the increase of abandoned tea gardens, especially on the steep slope. These abandoned tea gardens allow pests and wildlife such as boar, deer and monkey to grow and increase, which subsequently expands the damages of surrounding tea plantations, farmlands and trees in forest. In addition, the ruin of forest could cause the decline in water reservoir function of mountainside forest.
In order to prevent tea estates from getting the ruin of forest in tea estates, Mr. Sasaki, the president of Chakumi, has launched an unique conceptual tea, the tea to protect the forest environment in tea estate.
He has collaborated with tea farmers in Tenryu Tea Estate to restore the abandoned tea plantations of native variety, so-called “Zairai”. After restoration of the abandoned tea gardens, Mr. Sasaki has kept the purchase agreement of entire amount for the crude tea of native variety produced in the restored tea gardens with tea farmers in Tenryu Tea Estate.
The package of “tea for forest protection” produced by the collaboration of Chakumi and tea farmers in Tenryu Tea Estate.
The appearance of loose leaf tea of native variety produced in Tenryu Tea Estate.
In addition to Tenryu Tea Estate, Mr. Sasaki supports tea farmers to restore the abandoned tea plantations in Honyama Tea Estate. He introduced machines for pan-firing in a small tea factory owned by a retired tea farmer. And he cooperates with the tea farmers in Honyama tea estate to produce semi-fermented teas using the machine and tea shoots of 4 cultivars grown in the restored tea plantations. As a result, they could developed the new tea “Honyama Japanese Oolong Tea” as follows.
The package of Honyama Oolong tea produced by Chakumi in Honyama Tea Estate.
The apperance of Honyama Oolong tea.
The great efforts of tea farmers in Honyama and the prominent skill of Mr. Sasaki has created a wonderful aroma of floral note. I could feel mellow fragrance like flower after brewing. I could sense a fresh grassy nuance at the same time when sipping the infusion. I was absolutely delighted with the harmony of umami, fresh grassy nuance, slightly creamy body and floral fragrant finish!
2. Sustainable Development of Historically Sophisticated Skills of Tea Production in Tea Estates
The conceptual tea products of Chakumi have won the awards in World Green Tea Contest several times. “Uncho-no-OCHA” is a set of specialty teas traditionally produced in the long-established tea estates located on the mountainsides in Shizuoka prefecture. The concept of this tea product is the protection and further improvement of traditional skills of tea production in the long-established tea estates.
This set consists of 3 specialty teas produced on 3 mountainside tea estates in Shizuoka prefecture. Kawane, Tenryu and Honyama tea estates.
The unique package of “Uncho-no-OCHA” consists of 3 boxes where specialty mountain teas are contained each other.
The award certificate of World Green Tea Contest for “Uncho-no-OCHA”.
3. Teas as Medicines – The mixture of tea and medicinal crops
Mr. Sasaki has been developed various teas blended with health-beneficial corps by the cooperation with a pharmacist “Grand Master Daizo”, who is professional in the traditional Chinese medicinal works. They select each crop and herb optimum for the aimed health benefits. There are Their medicinal teas are designed for the some occasions which people desire the optimum effects for health.
4. Usage of local agricultural products
As a local tea store, Chakumi cooperates with various local farmers, not only tea farmers. The collaboration work of Chakumi and citrus farmers in Shonan area developed specialty green tea blended with dried peer of local citrus “Shonan Gold”.
< Shop Information >
- Address : 2526-25, Endo, Fujisawa city, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan
- Hours : 10:00 – 18:00
- Holiday : 12/29-1/3