Akira Matcha

Notes from the Importer: Chisako Mizota san was born in Fukuoka prefecture in 1937. She got married at age of 19 and began to farm green tea. She worked hard every day, even when it was rainy or windy. The couple decided to open a tiny tea shop.

After her husband won the top prize of the All Japan Green Tea Competition, a government award, their green tea became a sensation throughout all Japan.

Mizota san had three children, two girls and one boy, however, she lost her son when he was 29. In the long run, her grandsons keep alive the tradition they inherited. To this day, Mizota san still sells her green tea.

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.