IRIE TOSHIRO

A Pioneer In Organic Farming

Irie san became convinced of the health benefits of green tea when, at 20, he suffered from gallstones and recovered quickly thanks to taking up to drinking green tea from his hometown, Yame.

For 35 years now, Irie san has invested his time and energy to grow 100% chemical- and pesticide-free green tea. As such, he was one of the first tea producers in Japan to embrace organic tea production. Along with his son, he shows the utmost care for his fields and the environment, and is a fervent defender of sustainable agriculture and tea production.

GREEN TEA GROWN IN A PERFECT ENVIRONMENT

The Mountains Of Yame Area

ORGANIC SINCE THE START

No Pesticides, No Chemicals: Strengthen The Tea Trees

It took Irie san 5 years to create, plant and grow naturally tea fields at the top of the mountains of the Kuroki village (Yame, Fukuoka prefecture), far from any risk of cross-contamination from other sources. It took him 5 more years to produce a tea that satisfied him fully in terms of quality and taste.

Today, his robust and beautiful tea trees grow using only sun, rain, and the help of a rich and diverse biotope that provide the needed micro-organisms, vitamins and minerals to keep pest at bay. The rich and fragrant soil of his fields is so clean from chemical contaminants that it is safe to eat, and is actually sweet to the taste (yes we tasted it ) ! The green tea of Irie san has passed the most stringent tests, including those set up in Germany, making it a perfectly safe and healthy beverage to enjoy.

THE YAME REGION

An Ideal Climate

The most renowned plantations in Fukuoka prefecture are located in Yame area. Yame City is in a vast expanse of plain in Chikushi Region (Chikushi Plain) in the south of Fukuoka Prefecture.

Chikushi Plain is blessed with an ideally wonderful climate and fertile soil conditions for agricultural production.

In particular, the area ranging from Chikugo River basin to Yabe River basin (called as Yame Region) has produced green tea for centuries.

Thanks to the area's particular soil, most of the green tea produced in this region has a full-bodied taste and a remarkable sweetness.

Morning mists and river fogs are very frequent. Curtains of fog wrap green tea plantations, properly blocking sunlight.

This helps generating more amino acids (including theanine, glutamic acid, arginine, etc.) within the tea leaves.

In addition, Yame enjoys an inland climate－high temperature during daytime and very low temperatures at night.

Finally, the region receives an annual rainfall of 1,600 mm to 2,400 mm. These features are ideal for green tea production.

LAND OF THE GYOKURO

Highest Grade In Japan

Yame Region is proud of its top production amount of gyokuro (Highest Quality). As much as 45% of all gyokuro available on Japanese market comes from Yame Region. That is the reason Yame is famous and known as one of the few production places of highest quality green tea in Japan.

Yame Gyokuro won Best Prize in the All Japan Green Tea Competition for 12 consecutive years from 2001 to 2012, as well as in 2014 and 2015. In 2014, Yame Green Tea won Best Prize in the sections of both Green Tea (Middle Grade) and Gyokuro Green Tea (Highest Grade).

In 2007, Yame Green Tea took the all the places from the 1st place to the 26th place in the Gyokuro Competition Section, showing its overwhelming excellence over green teas produced in other regions in Japan.

THE TEAS OF IRIE SAN

Incredible Properties Thanks To An Healthy Soil

The tea leaves used by Irie san benefit directly from the health of the soil where the trees grow. The nutrients, minerals and vitamins absorbed by the trees end up in the leaves, and so, eventually, in your cup, helping your body stay strong and healthy.

A blend of yabukita and saemidori cultivars, the organic sencha of Irie san is refreshing and fragrant, and is an excellent example of premium quality sencha from Yame.

Its umami is strong, yet it leaves a clean aftertaste in the mouth. The flavor of tea can be tasted for a long while.

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