Kinezuka Toshiaki is an organic tea farmer in Shizuoka, Japan. In the 1970s, he founded a collective of organic tea farmers, and over the years he became a vocal advocate for the environmental benefits of organic farming. During a recent trip to Japan, we had the opportunity to ask him about his experiences as an organic tea farmer. Here is part one of our conversation. Check back next week for part two of this discussion of organic tea farming in Japan.

Art of Tea: You’ve said originally switched to organic production in search of better tasting tea. What is the difference between the taste of organic and conventional [non-organic] tea to you?

Kinezuka: Organic tea has a deeper, richer taste. We often receive tea from other [conventional] farmers, and I am always surprised to taste it because it looks very good, but once we brew it, it is not tasty at all.

Art of Tea: When did you make the switch to organic tea production?

Kinezuka: In 1976. Before then, I had a strong dependency on chemicals.

If we go back to the earliest history of agriculture, we cannot find any time with such a high dependency on chemicals. In the 1960s,Japanese agriculture became highly dependent on chemicals, so the dependency has only a short history of about 50 years. In these 50 years, without people realizing it, there was a huge environmental destruction.

Art of Tea: What kind of environmental destruction?

Kinezuka: When I was little, farmers used a very strong chemical in the rice fields. After they sprayed, they would put up a red flag in the field, and the children were not allowed to play in the river. This is why I never learned to swim.

At the same time, the fish disappeared. If there had been a factory up the stream that killed fish and damaged the environment, it would have been a big social issue, but since it was farming, people did not take the same approach. However, farming is one of the biggest polluters.

Until today, there has been destructive construction that killed a lot of the creatures in the river and nature. We used to have many fireflies, but now we don’t see many. At one point, they almost totally disappeared.

Art of Tea: That’s terrible… What is the role of insects on your organic tea farm today?

Kinezuka: A professor observed two farms in Shizuoka from March to November, when the insects are the most active. He compared our farm to a conventional farm 250 meters away. The insects with wings were evenly spread over the two farms. However, the number of insects without wings was steady on the organic farm and it changed suddenly on the conventional farm. Overall, the average was lower on the organic farm, in part because helpful insects like spiders exist on organic farms. They eat the harmful insects. In addition, there was a much wider variety of types of insects on the organic tea farm.

Check back next week to learn how the diverse ecology of organic farms makes better tea.

Two weeks ago on the Art of Tea blog, we shared some of the key components that set Japanese green teas apart from each other. This week, we’re continuing the story of what makes Japanese green teas unique with more information on Japanese green tea processing styles and Japanese green tea blending.

Processing Styles

Most Japanese green teas are steamed. However, some (like Houjicha, our roasted-style Kukicha Twig Tea and Kamairicha) are roasted or pan-fired in a manner akin to Chinese green tea processing.

Within the category of steamed green teas, the amount of time the leaves are steamed also influenced the tea’s final flavor, aroma and appearance. For example, Fukamishi (deep-steamed) Sencha like our Zuisha Sencha has a bold green color with a mild aroma and a straightforward flavor, while Asamushi (light-steamed) Sencha has a light golden-green brew, nuanced aroma and complex flavor.

Some teas are steamed so heavily that the leaves begin to fall apart. In some cases, the veins and stems of the leaves are removed and the remainder of the leaf is slowly ground into a fine powder known as Matcha. Some Matcha teas (like our Ceremonial Matcha andMatcha Grade A) are whisked into a frothy, emerald-green brew before consumption. Others (like our Ginger Matcha) can be whisked or they can be blended into hot or iced tea lattes and smoothies.

Unusual variations on Matcha include Tencha (leaves that are steamed to make Matcha, but left un-ground), Kenacha (a lower-grade powdered tea made from un-shaded leaves) and Kokeicha (a powdered green tea that is kneaded with rice starch, extruded, cut into leaf-sized pieces and dried).

Blending

In Japan, some green tea (usually Bancha) is blended with toasted and puffed brown rice to make a nutty, low-caffeine tea called Gen Mai Cha (“brown rice tea”). If Gen Mai Cha is dusted with Matcha, it’s known as “Matcha-iri Genmaicha” or Gen Mai Matcha.

Dragon Crisp - Gen Mai Cha

Here at Art of Tea, we employ artisan-blending techniques on some of our Japanese green teas. Using the naturally fresh, vegetal flavor of steamed Japanese green tea as a base, we draw upon all our senses to create blends like Tropical Green Tea Pineapple, Mango Melange, Japanese Cherry, Holiday Berry Green Tea and Ginger Matcha. We also combine the roasted, deep flavor of Houjicha with cold-pressed vanilla essence and white chocolate to make our decadent, latte-like Houjicha de la Crème. These are certainly not traditional blends, but they have been instrumental in helping an international audience come to love the flavor of Japanese green tea.

Japanese Cherry

Japan is renowned for its high-quality green teas. At first glance, it may seem that Japanese teas are fairly uniform because most (but not all) of them are green teas. However, there is a wealth of diversity in these jade brews. In part one of this two-part exploration of Japanese green teas, we’ll share some of the key differences that separate the main types of Japanese green teas, including origins, tea plants, shade growing and harvest times.

Origins

The main specialty tea-producing regions of Japan are Uji, Shizuoka and Kyushu.

Uji is known for Uji Gyokuro, Uji Matcha and Uji Kabusecha, but there are also some exceptional Uji Sencha teas we’ve found in our travels. Tea from Uji is often called “Ujicha” or “Uji tea.”

Shizuoka is known for its Sencha and, especially, its light, sweet Shincha.

Kyushu tea is generally lower quality than Uji and Shizuoka tea. However, some Kyushu tea farmers are planting new and interesting varietals, and there are many organic tea farms in the region.

Tea Plants

The varietal of tea plant and the parts of the tea plant that are used to make tea also determine how a green tea will look, smell and taste.

Japan’s most common tea varietal is known as Yabukita, or “North of the Bamboo Forest.” Around Uji City, the Kyotowanabe is popular. And, of course, Kyushu is experimenting with new tea varietals. Each has a unique appearance, aroma and flavor when processed.

Many Japanese green teas use two leaves and one bud. However, some traditional Japanese teas are intentionally made of stems for a lower caffeine level and milder flavor. Our Green Kukicha, Kukicha Twig Tea and Houjicha de la Crème are all examples of Japanese twig teas.

Japanese Twig Teas

Shade Growing

Most Japanese green teas are grown in ample sunshine. However, a few are partially shade-grown to mimic the mists of high-elevation Chinese green teas. These teas include Gyokuro and Matcha (which are shade grown for 20 days or more before harvest), as well as Kabusecha (which is shade-grown for about two weeks before harvest).

Harvest Times

Sencha that is harvested in early spring is known as “Shincha” (or “new tea” or “first-flush Sencha”). Summer and fall pluckings of Sencha are often referred to as Bancha, a type of “everyday green tea” that’s commonly served after meals in Japan.

Depending on the region and the weather patterns of the year, Gyokuro (a type of shade-grown green tea) and Matcha (a shade-grown, powdered green tea) may also be plucked slightly later in the spring than Shincha.

More on Japanese Green Teas

In next week’s blog post, we’ll talk about the differences in processing and blending that distinguish Japanese green teas from one another.

I hope I don’t offend anyone here with this post. According to my resources deep in the Wuyi Mountains there are plenty of wild tea trees but  no Monkeys that pick tea or for that matter have ever picked tea here.

Oddly enough however there appear to be several species of non human primates in this region which are known to open/pop the top off a bottle of beer. Granted there are pictures and old paintings of the tea partnership between Monks and Monkeys trading food for wild tea leaves that could not be reached by humans, however these primates have no interest in the leaf. They prefer another brew.

So why have the name  Monkey in a tea such as our white monkey picked or golden monkey? Monkey Picked Tea refers to a top tier tea. Typically wild thicker leaves are used for this or rarer more precious leaves and buds.

This checkpoint is to prevent tourists, foreigners and uninvited guests away from the protective reserve. The habitat hosts a variety of  rare herbs and botanicals, rock teas, about 1000 residents and a host of wildlife. Tourists are only allowed in the Summer time and this visit was early harvest season so no tourists are allowed in order to protect the reserve’s natural habitat. Since I was traveling with the estate manager the guard let us through without question. Once through the gate the forest opened up to be a pure magical place. With China having many contrasts of population and other environmental concerns this place was surrounded by mountains peaks far away from city culture. These mountain peaks would shoot up at a 90 degree angle at the sky with waterfalls flowing down the side  wild monkeys, tea shrubs, pine and bamboo forests. This is where our famous organic white tea and some of our organic hand crafted oolongs are produced… You can smell and taste the freshness of this area in the tea.

So the 4 hour trip to the Private Reserve in Wuyishan Mountain Fujian China turned to an 8 hour car ride. Side Note: Its amazing how many dialects their are along the way. About 6 hours into the trip Mr. Zhan, our driver for the majority of the trip, drops us off at a random point and we meet with another driver that looks like he is about 28. I find out later that he is one of the tea managers of the organic estate we work with and will be visiting. A very humble man and a real salt of the earth person which we will discuss in another post. We began making our way through Wuyi Mountain range and was blown away by the landscape. Later we switched cars again to a 4×4 to handle the terrain and  to reach a checkpoint.

Mr. Bei is the tea master of this fair trade estate in Southern China. The way it works at this estate is that there is no central garden rather various lots dotted across campus so to speak. Each location is close to a small production facility or satellite where the teas are quickly dried to prevent oxidization. It is a cooperative effort with many of the villagers putting their strength to work so tea master Mr. Bei can craft our fine teas. According to tea master Mr. Bei there are only 14 days of harvest each year at this location for high quality white teas and green teas. Depending on weather conditions the remaining crops can be made into black teas. The rains came late this year followed by cold weather which have caused the production to drop by 60% compared to previous years. This also means a price increase and a waiting game of bidding.  This is where the relationship comes in and cooperation on many levels to ensure fair prices and fair wages for great quality products.

Plenty of cheers and toasts at lunch today back at the Fair Trade tea estate after visiting the school, most of which were short blasts of warm words in local dialect which I couldn’t understand but I smiled broadly and clicked glasses. Granted, I am a light weight when it comes to alcohol and after a few toasts of beer in a little shot glass I got a little giddy.

So, I thought I’d share my own toast with a L’Chaim. L’Chaim in Hebrew means “To life” or in other words to remain healthy with a bit of luck thrown in there. Saying l’chaim with a slight guttural roll in the back of the throat for the “ch” part caused a momentary ripple in the room, but after saying a few times everyone was rocking out the l’chaims, laughing and adding their own words of wellness. Joining us at the table was the Chief of the farming community. A powerful woman in her own right with 600 farmers voting her in as their leader and voice for great teas in this region.

While lunch was rolling on the estate manager turned to me and in a low humble voice he asked me, “Are we friends?”

Then it hit me.

We eat. We share. We feel good and we do business in China as friends. 90% of success in business transactions done anywhere is based on trust. You want to make sure that you can stand by your product or service time and again. Friends will watch your back and make sure you are getting a reliable product.

Are we friends? I responded. Yeah, of course we are friends.

If you are ever having a bad day just look at this picture. These kids are all smiles. Except for the one with the corn in her mouth caught during a storm of kids bombarding the camera at lunch time. Otherwise I thought I felt like a rock star just being there and they certainly shined at the photo opp. Their school built in part by Art of Tea participating in buying tea from this Fair Trade project feels good knowing that they get a good education and learn in well lite, spacious and clean environment.  It really started with a good intention and a team of people that believed in a better opportunity. It’s simple really or rather really simple. We will explore the process later and meet with potential Fair Trade opportunities in future posts.

Being a pretty tall foreigner the kids were a little standoffish but slowly warmed up as I just put my hand out for a high five. They all took dares at being the first on to give me a high five and as the crowd started to gather of course the kid with snot running down his nose gave me the first high five. That opened the gates so to speak of a rush of high fives. Later, I did a little improv English lesson with them and was impressed with the fact that these kids know way more English than I know Mandarin.  I will post the video later on this experience as I have no access as in this part of China to YouTube, Twitter or Facebook.

Peace.

Today we visited with the manager of one of the coop fair trade tea estates that we work with and got a private tour of the school. This school  was built by TransFair Fair Trade Tea Program. We are happy to say that we as in you and me/our customers have contributed to this fantastic cause. So essentially first hand you can witness the difference between buying fair trade tea and non fair trade tea.

The school is fairly large. To give perspective it is similar in size to Hamilton High in Los Angeles which was the scene of 90210 in the 90’s and other tv shows. The school borders the old property which was essentially shacks.  Now the kids have a beautiful place  to learn while being surrounded by mountains, mist, a river and tea. The kids are from parents who participate in the tea coop and I was happy to hear that 30 kids a year later go on to college after graduating this school.
After spending a year in a peace corp type program in the Middle East working directly with povershed communities, schools and kids, I feel confident that I can get a strong sense on how legit a program may be running. I was happy to say that the grounds seemed positive, well kept and the kids are happy.  More to come on this with a video interview of the principal, interaction with the kids and going back to meet Tea Master Bei at the estate.

There is this thought that I’d like to share that keeps coming to mind while on this trip. Which is the exploration of Altruism…and if altruism really exists.

If not then can we feel good knowing that we are doing well while doing good? I’d like to think this is the happy medium.

Let me know what you think. Meantime take a look out for more to come.