New Release of Tsuge Zairai Sencha from Sustainable Tea Garden

Tsuge Zairai Sencha is made from zairai tea plucked in spring, from the naturally farmed tea garden located in Tsuge, Nara City, Nara Prefecture. The tea garden of Tsuge Zairai Sencha is maintained in a sustainable manner applying neither pesticide nor fertilizer. Tsuge Zairai Sencha has a subtle and refreshing floral scent with a hint of sweet nutty note and smooth taste. It has a very long-lasting finishing that lingers down the throat. In terms of the strength and depth of the finishing or aftertaste, it is the longest among HOJO's Japanese teas. The tea leaves are slightly rough cut like aracha, not the slim needle shape. But you may be surprised how delicate and soft the taste of the tea is.

Tsuge, which is said to be the center of ancient Japan

Tsuge is located in the Yamato highland in the northeastern part of Nara Prefecture. Tsuge used to be Tsuge Village but was merged with Nara City in 2005. Even now, the name Tsuge remains as a place name. Many myths that seem to be related to the land around Tsuge are described in the Kojiki, the oldest historical document in Japan. There are a number of historical heritages in Tsuge. If you have a strong interest in the ancient history of Japan, Tsuge is an interesting place to visit.

The soil is rich in minerals

Tsuge Zairai Sencha tea gardens are located on the slope of a mountain within walking distance from Kunitsu Shrine and Ogami Shrine. Tsuge, where many ancient historical sites remain, is land that is not easily eroded by rivers. The area around the tea garden is covered with beige-yellowish clay similar in property to Zhuni and is very rich in iron. It is one of the reasons why Tsuge Zairai Sencha has such a long finishing. For decades, the tea garden was managed with natural farming methods. It is a pesticide-free and fertilizer-free tea garden. Tsuge Zairai Sencha Tea Garden and the tea maker Unlike modern Japanese tea gardens with mass production scale, this Tsuge Zairai Sencha tea garden is on a very small scale. We evaluate the quality of tea from each section of the tea garden owned by the producer and select a single tea garden for our lineup.

Quality Tea Comes from Healthy Tea

We believe that a good example of a healthy plant is a natural plant in the forest or mountain. Plants in nature depend only on the ecosystem for nitrogen intake. As a result, natural plants grow more slowly and their cells are more compact and dense. When we search for quality tea, we search for gardens maintained in a state similar to natural plants. On the contrary, when fertilizers, especially nitrogen fertilizers regardless of organic or chemical origin, are applied, nitrogen becomes over-saturated in the tea garden. As a result, the tea tree absorbs excessive nitrogen and grows rapidly and vigorously. To support faster growth, tea leaves synthesize a large amount of chlorophyll and actively perform photosynthesis. The cells of the rapidly growing tea leaves enlarge, leading to lower cell density. As a result, although yield increases, the aftertaste becomes light and flat. There are producers who advertise not using chemical fertilizers, but we believe that both chemical fertilizers and organic fertilizers have the same effect on tea growth as long as they are rich in nitrogen. Based on our experience, applying grass and forest fallen leaves as fertilizer is not a problem because it is part of the ecosystem that keeps tea and vegetables in their natural state.

Fertilizer-free cultivation eliminates the need for pesticides

As can be observed in natural plants, they are perfectly sustainable. They have remained healthy for many years without fertilizer or pesticides. In fact, pests are always seeking nitrogen through leaf consumption. Therefore, tea leaves that contain a higher concentration of nitrogen will attract insects, which is why pesticides become necessary. For example, even natural plants, if fertilized, develop larger leaves, darker green color, and at the same time attract insects. Non-fertilized tea contains a lower nitrogen concentration and relatively higher levels of polyphenols and terpenes. These physiologically active substances contribute significantly to the taste and aroma of tea, producing a rich and complex taste with fruity and floral notes. Note that the aroma comes not from the polyphenols themselves but from terpenes. Slowly grown tea contains more terpene glycosides, the precursors of these terpenes, which is why its aroma is rich. Like natural plants, such tea plants do not require pesticides because insects are not attracted to plants with low nitrogen levels. The producers of Tsuge Zairai Sencha also emphasized that pest occurrence is minimal. Fertilizer-free tea grows slowly and does not require vigorous photosynthesis. For this reason, it contains less chlorophyll and is generally characterized by its yellow-green color.

Seedling Tea

Tsuge Zairai Sencha is grown from seedlings. Seedlings mean tea plants grown from seeds and are called zairai in Japan. Originally, zairai refers to endemic species of Japanese animals and plants. Since tea was originally introduced from China, the term zairai is not strictly accurate. However, in the Japanese tea industry, zairai commonly refers to tea planted by seed, so HOJO uses the term zairai for clarity. Teas of cultivars such as Yabukita, Okumidori, and Benifuki are planted by cuttings. When seeds are sown, crossbreeding produces hybrids, so cuttings or grafting are necessary to preserve a particular cultivar. Compared to cuttings, seedling tea has a different root structure. The photo below clearly shows the difference between cuttings and seedling tea. Cuttings on the left, seedlings grown from seed on the right. Tea trees grown from seed develop a taproot similar to burdock. For this reason, they absorb minerals from deep soil layers more efficiently, resulting in a thicker and longer aftertaste. If you are residing in Malaysia, please visit our online shop as follows.