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Two types of tea fields: Roten-en (Exposed to sunlight / Open-air fields) and
the Ooishita-en (Shaded from sunlight / Covered fields) |
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| 1.
Roten-en (Exposed to sunlight
/ Open-air fields) | | This
type of open-air field is fully exposed to sunlight; leaves from these plants
are usually processed to make Sencha. In Kyoto prefecture, this type of fields
are seen most frequently in Wazuka-town and Minamiyamashiro-village. Most tea
fields in Japan are of this type. Because
roten-en receives abundant sunlight, tea produced from this type of field has
increased astringency, and possesses a brisk/refreshing flavor. |
Roten-en |
| ◎
Exposed to sunlight →strong astringency |
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| 2.
Ooishita-en (Shaded from sunlight
/ Covered fields) | | Ooishita-en
are veiled as new shoots begin to sprout in mid-April. The gyokuro and tencha
(used to make maccha) are produced from these fields. They are seen throughout
Uji City and Kyotanabe City in Kyoto prefecture. Throughout the country, this
type of field is not very commonly seen. Cultivated
under protection from sunlight, tea produced from this type of field has limited
astringency and increased mellowness. | 
Ooishita-en |
| ◎
Protected from direct sunlight →weak astringency, mellow taste |
| Ooishita-en
are commonly seen in Kyotanabe City where Maiko Tea is located. This area has
the most extensive gyokuro production from the past. |
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Which leaves are for picking? |
| | Which
leaves of the plant are for picking?
Take a good look at a tea plant -- you
will recognize that on it are two types of leaves: the harder leaves, left from
last year -- and the softer leaves, which are the new shoots to be picked.
Recently, machines
have replaced manual labor in most areas of Japan; however, many tea plantations
in the southern parts of KyotoPrefecture, known for the highest quality tea, still
choose to carefully select and pick each tea leaf (one by one) by hand,cherishing
the value of genuine tea quality.
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| 1. | Niyouzumi
(Isshin Niyou)
[Two-leaf plucking (two leaves and the bud)]
The two younger
leaves and the bud are plucked for the highest grade of gyokuro and sencha. |
| | 2. | Sanyouzumi
(Isshinsanyou)
[Three-leaf plucking (three leaves and the bud)]
Three
leaves and the bud are plucked for high quality tea (gyokuro/sencha). |
| | 3. | [Regular
plucking (four to five leaves and the bud)]
Regular teas are made from the
top four to five leaves and the bud of the tea plant. | | |
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Tea-Plucking -- Once a Year? |
| | Commonly,
tea plucking is carried out two to three times per year, as new shoots continue
to sprout even after a crop is harvested. However,on most tea plantations across
southern Kyoto prefecture, tea plucking is only done once a year.
| First
crop (Easter flush) (Shincha) | Late
April to end of May |
| Second crop (Spring flush) | Late
June to early July |
| Third crop (Summer flush) | Mid
July to late August | |
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Tea Plucking in Kyotanabe City -- the No. 1 Gyokuro Producer in Japan |
| | | Kyotanabe
City, esteemed for the highest quality gyokuro, has been practicing and preserving
the traditional method of hand-plucking tea-- carefully selecting one leaf at
a time. Even today, tea plucking is done by hand in this city. From
one kilogram of freshly picked tea shoots, merely 150g of gyokuro is produced.
Even the most experienced tea picking workers can only harvest about 10kg of fresh
leaves in one day… which calculates to approximately 1.5 kg of the final product.
Hand plucking tea is truly time-consuming and costly tedious work. The
finest quality teas are made using shoots hand-plucked one by one from plants
grown under the year-long intensive care of the plantation owners. | |
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An Annual Tea-Picking Event at Maiko Tea |
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Once every year, Maiko
Tea holds a tea-picking event for our cherished customers. Approximately 500 people
gather each year to enjoy the tea-picking experience. | | |
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