- Nishi-san's fields, in Kagoshima, are overlooked by an active volcano.
- Its ash settles on the tea plants and forms a unique natural fertilizer.
- The silver covers keep the leaves cool; it's all about timing.
- The tencha is aged for a few months to mellow out, before being ground into matcha.
- The result: an exceptional organic ultra-premium matcha, to be discovered at least once.
Come visit Nishi-san's fields with me — he's the farmer who produces the organic ultra-premium matcha tea for Kumiko Matcha.
At the foot of the volcano:
Located in the Kagoshima prefecture in southern Japan, this terroir is made unique by the active volcano towering over it. In the video you can see the ash cloud in the distance being dispersed by the wind, after forming a vertical column.
Once this ash settles in the fields, it forms a unique natural fertilizer! But don't worry about your organic ultra-premium matcha tea — the leaves will be cleaned and cleared of the ash, and I'll show you that in another video!
Once the harvest is complete, the producer first ages the resulting tencha for a few months to make it rounder and less harsh, and then it is ground to obtain the matcha.
The second factor that makes Nishi-san's organic ultra-premium matcha unique:
In the video above, you can see another factor that Nishi-san perfects to improve his organic ultra-premium matcha tea: the covers that protect the tea plants.
What is very special, even unique, is that these covers, usually black, are silver-colored at Nishi-san's, and it's through this kind of detail that you can see Nishi-san's obsession: pushing the quality of his matcha tea to its absolute peak.
And what's the point?The main role of these covers is to reflect the sun's rays. This keeps the plants cool in a more optimal way than when using black covers, as the latter absorb the rays and create more heat, like a mini oven.
It's all in the timing!
Once under the covers, the plant enters survival mode and produces new shoots that reach for the sun, which puts the plant in a state of stress since these new shoots cannot receive the sun's rays.
Then, it's all a question of timing, Nishi-san explains: if the plant is covered for too long it will be damaged, and if, on the contrary, it is not covered, then the plant's amino acids turn into polyphenols.
After the harvest:
After the harvest ends, the field is prepared for the next season by trimming between the plants (you can see in the video the small space this creates).
Pour aller plus loin : Farmer Profile: Takeshi-san →: Throughout this feature, I'm taking you to meet Takeshi-san. He is one of our partner farmers at Kumiko Matcha. He produces organic tencha in Miyazaki Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu in the far south of Japan.
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An exceptional matcha:
Nishi-san's organic ultra-premium matcha tea is one of the best in the world, and I'm proud to show you his field with this erupting volcano that makes this terroir so special. That's why you should experience it at least once in your life — it's something very special and traditional in Japan.
See you soon for new adventures in Japan!
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