In this article, I will share with you the definitions of several terms used in the world of matcha tea. I will draw parallels with wine and champagne, as they have a lot in common with tea.
You're probably familiar with wine cultivars such as Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Did you know that the same name exists for tea?
These "tea cultivars" are called cultivars.
What is the definition of a cultivar?
The word cultivar in agriculture, or horticultural variety
In botany, a "cultivar" is a cultivated variety of plant obtained through selection based on criteria such as aesthetics, growth, adaptation to an environment, or resistance to disease.
The word "cépage," used specifically in the world of wine, is a synonym for the word "cultivar."
What is a matcha tea cultivar?
A cultivar is a group of tea plants obtained through selection and crossbreeding, which are cultivated for their specific features.
Each cultivar is more or less suited to certain weather conditions (e.g., frost resistance) or is grown for its unique flavour, colour, or aroma. Some cultivars are very well suited to matcha tea production.
To preserve the qualities of the cultivar and prevent it from changing over time, Japanese tea is most often grown using cuttings instead of seeds. In other words, most tea fields are filled with clones of the same tea plant, and they all have exactly the same genetic heritage.
Three cultivars: Yabukita, Saeakari, and Asatsuyu (from left to right)
The example of Yabukita
Deep green leaves ready to be harvested
In 1908, a farmer named Sugiyama Hikosaburo (杉山彦三郎) developed a new cultivar in the Shizuoka region.
He named it Yabukita, which literally means northern (北) grove (藪), because his field was located north of a bamboo grove.
This cultivar is particularly robust and cold-resistant, can survive in a wide range of climates, and has a pronounced flavour.
Yabukita was registered as an official cultivar in 1954 and has spread widely throughout Japan. Today, it is the most popular tea, accounting for 75% of Japanese tea according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan.
It is practically ubiquitous in matcha production.
The disadvantage of Yabukita is that it is vulnerable to pests and diseases and requires a lot of care.
Other cultivars?
There are many cultivars (over a hundred), much less well-known than Yabukita, with varied flavor profiles. Here are some other cultivar names: Samidori, Asahi, Komakage, and Yamakai. There are also hybrid cultivars, i.e., crosses between two cultivars, such as Tsuyuhikari.
Their knowledge adds an extra dimension to tea tasting and understanding, beyond the type of tea, farmers, and terroirs.
The cultivars offer several advantages:
- They have a wide variety of flavors and aromas, offering plenty of choice and potential for wonder when tasting.
- Farmers can choose a cultivar suited to the climate and conditions of their terroir.
- They have a more stable quality and better yield than zairai.
The special case of zairai
Tokuya-san's tea fields in the Kyoto region
The use of cultivars is relatively recent in the history of tea in Japan, only becoming commonplace in the 1960s and 1970s.
Before this boom, tea was grown from seeds. Today, only a handful of tea gardens use this method (about 3%). These native tea varieties, which do not belong to any distinctive cultivar, are called zairai (在来).
In this case, each plant has a unique and different genetic heritage: a zairai field is like a large natural assemblage of hundreds of unique plants.
Zairai are no longer very popular with most farmers for several reasons:
- They are not as profitable as cultivars because their yield is unpredictable.
- Since they are all genetically different, the timing of the harvest and the taste of all the tea plants will be different, even if they are part of the same tea garden. This makes the labour more difficult for farmers during harvest time.
But zairai also have undeniable advantages:
- Zairai have better resistance to diseases and pests thanks to their diversity and adaptation to their native terroir.
- Many consider the rare flavour of zairai to be that of Japanese tea from yesteryear.
That's why I'm so happy to work with our partner farmer Tokuya-san and his natural zairai matcha, which is a true rarity and a unique pleasure.
Blends
Blending is the combination of teas mixed in certain proportions to give them a particular taste. These proportions are generally adjusted each year according to the quality of the different bundles of tea available.
The features of the blends
Click on the play button to view my explanation on tea selection (3min38)
In this video, I show you the room where the tea sommelier blends organic premium matcha tea.
The labour of the tea master is comparable to that of the cellar master in the world of champagne.
Organic premium matcha tea is a blend, like most champagnes: it has no vintage and always retains the same taste regardless of the year, thanks to the blending skills of the tea master.
This specialist will taste the different tencha harvests and evaluate them based on their terroir, cultivar, colour, aroma, and nose. He will create a blend, a "mix," of these tencha from the cooperative of several farmers to arrive at a finished product like our organic premium matcha tea.
My selection of blends
Organic premium matcha tea from Japan
Kumiko Matcha's flagship product is the top of the line in organic premium matcha tea.
A delicate powder with an intense jade colour.
A rich and mellow taste with a delicious flavour. Initially vegetal and herbal, slightly astringent with a tannin sensation next to a smooth finish. Full of umami flavour.
Products produced using organic farming methods to respect the environment and convey all the benefits of the plant.
An unreal grand cru, the definition of umami, the most luxurious and exclusive for special occasions.
Nishi-san has chosen to keep the formula for his blend a secret, but he was kind enough to reveal that the most prevalent cultivar is Saemidori.
This variety of tea with a very pronounced umami taste is usually ready to be harvested earlier than Yabukita. Its leaves are a vibrant green, shiny color.
Single origin
A single origin tea comes from a single tea garden or a single terroir. This term is often used with the term "single cultivar" to refer to the opposite of a blend: a matcha that comes from a single terroir and a single cultivar or cultivar.
The advantage of single origin is that you can rediscover the features of a cultivar you enjoy, or taste matcha tea as it was in the past if it is a zairai cultivar.
My single origin selection
vintage & terroir matcha - Nakai 2019
Nakai-san is a small producer with a very powerful story.
Still evolving, the 2019 vintage offers delicious taste, aroma, and scent with a clear note of traditional craftsmanship. More smooth, more "matcha" and less "sencha" than it was in 2016.
It is a treat and a pleasure to experience the evolution of this tea and to benefit from Nakai-san's passion and love for his work.
A vintage matcha harvested in 2018 from the fields of Tokuya-san in the Kyoto region.
Tokuya-san's tencha was dry-aged for almost two years before being freshly ground in February 2020. It has evolved like a fine wine: it has become rounder, and its taste and aroma have become more complex.
This matcha is also a zairai, which is extremely rare for a matcha tea.
This natural matcha is comparable to natural wine: more artisan, more tannic, with more character.
Conclusion
We have seen together what a cultivar, a single origin, and a blend are.
The world of matcha tea is as complex as that of wine, with special vintage editions that change every year depending on the conditions of their terroir; and with blends and mixtures whose secrets are kept by their creators.
It is an honour and a pleasure for me to introduce you to these subtle aspects and share my passion for matcha tea with you. My mission is also to help you discover premium organic matcha tea from Japan, so I invite you to save this item to share with wine and champagne enthusiasts 🍷🍾🍵😇
Thank you for your attention and time, thank you for being part of the community! 💚🍵
- Val de Kumiko Matcha
