SEKIYA HIROTSUGU

10th Dan In Green Tea Appraisal

Sekiya Hirotsugu san has gained a lot of attention in Miyazaki and Japan as being one of the youngest tea masters to receive a 10th dan (highest grade) in tea appraisal.

There are only a dozen people holding this ranking in Japan. With his unique ideas, he creates distinctive teas on a continuous basis that are very appreciated by tea merchants throughout the country.

Sekiya san is very active in promoting high quality teas from Miyazaki and making them known to the public not only to Japan but also overseas.

Hirotsugu san brings you an incredible and rare JAS certified organic Kamairicha. The Kamairicha tea is not steamed, but roasted in a large pan, it has a fragrance called “kamaka”, a sweet taste and refreshing feeling and can sometimes recall the scent of Jasmine tea.

This technique was almost lost but has been now recognized as National Agricultural Heritage. We truly hope that you will appreciate the taste of our tea and also spread the word about it.

A RARE GREEN TEA

An Almost Lost Process

"Kamairi" in Japanese literally means "pan firing", or "roasting in a pan". The process is intense and manual, and as a result production is only done on a small scale.The characteristic aroma of tea is strongly preserved in the final product, due to the traditional techniques developed over centuries.

Fresh tea leaves are immediately parched after harvesting for ten minutes at 300 degrees C, using a Japanese process called "Iriha-ki", to minimize and stop fermentation. Parched leaves are rolled and dried in a four-step, intensely manual process.

This time-tested Japanese technique yields a unique pan-parched fragrance, with a remarkably complex and rich taste. Kamairicha is highly rich in natural antioxidants, as it does not undergo the usual steam treatment of green teas.

THE MIYAZAKI REGION

Between Sea & Mountains

South-Eastern Kyushu. Facing the Pacific Ocean, Miyazaki prefecture is known of its beautiful pristine beaches and its verdant and luscious mountains.
It enjoys a mild climate. While it is not well known outside Japan for its tea, Miyazaki is actually the fourth tea-producing region of Japan.
This area produces very high quality tea.It is notably home to the exceptional and rare Kamairicha, made using a very special production technique (pan fry).

This technique is almost lost as only few producers still have the expertise required to produce this tea.

In Gokase-cho, where you can see Mt. Aso and Mt.Sobo, tea gardens spread to the ground above 600 m in altitude, the difference in temperature is large, and allows the production of fragrant tea.

In 2015, it was certified as a World Agricultural heritage.

Still now Tea farmers inherit and preserve the traditional way of making roasted tea.It is easily recognizable as the tea leaves are curved, making a "comma" shape, Magatama in Japanese.

THE TEAS OF HIROTSUGU SAN

Only 2 Percent Of Tea Production In Japan

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