Farmer profile: Nishi-san

Par Valentin Van Nhut

In this file, I introduce you to Nishi-san. He is the producer of our most luxurious and high-quality organic matcha: ultra-premium organic matcha and hyper-premium organic matcha.

The "Farmer Profile" series tells the stories of the farmers I met in Japan. Last time, we saw the daily life of Takeshi-san, who lives in Miyazaki, in southern Japan.

Nishi-san's family has been producing matcha for five generations. He is known in the organic tea world for his exceptional quality tencha. His fields are located in Kirishima, in the southernmost part of Japan, a region known for its volcanic activity.

Portrait with farmer Nishi-san and volcanic activity in the background.

The unique feature of the Nishi-san terroir is the geographical location of the land, which plays a predominant role in the quality of the tea: the ash that escapes from the active volcanoes of Mount Kirishima falls near the tea plants and serves as a natural fertilizer.

Click on the play button to start the video (5 min 30 sec) - Mai 2018

Careful production with attention to every detail.

shaded matcha tea with silver covers

Nishi-san also uses special covers when covering his tea, about 3 to 6 weeks before harvest. Instead of opting for the usual black covers, he invested in silver covers that reflect light without retaining heat as normal covers would.

Click on the play button to start the video (3 min 13 sec) - Mai 2017

Nishi-san prioritizes quality over quantity.

the tencha fields of Nishi-san

Another guarantee of the quality of our ultra-premium organic premium matcha is that Nishi-san only harvests once a year. After the harvest, the plants are cut back to prepare the tea plants for the next harvest the following year.

Click on the play button to start the video (42 sec) - May 2018

The tea leaves are washed with spring water.

tea plant leaves

Nishi-san uses spring water from the surrounding mountains to wash the freshly harvested tea leaves. Large bubbles can be viewed in the video. These are not soap bubbles, but simply dust and impurities forming bubbles.

Click on the play button to start the video (1 min 29 sec) - May 2018

You can find more information about the transformation of fresh tea into tencha in this item.

Efficient and controlled production

Click on the play button to start the video (4 min 08 sec) - May 2018

In this video, we view the leaves entering a two-tier oven. A machine then separates the heart of the leaf from its stem.

It is, of course, the heart of the leaf that will be used to create matcha. It will then be ground in a granite mill at the cooperative.

I deeply admire Nishi-san's obsession with perfection, which is why he produces our most luxurious matcha teas: ultra-premium organic matcha and hyper-premium organic matcha.

Nishi-san, a titan of organic tea

Click on the play button to start the video (1 min 32 sec) - May 2018

Nishi-san grows different types of cultivars (or grape varieties) and stores them in a large cold room to keep them fresh. Each cultivar must be harvested at a different time, and he is very organised in calculating the ideal harvest time.