Saito tea farm Okuharuka 80g
Sencha with real cherry blossom aroma. No no. It does not contain any aroma or added dried flowers. The tea plant variety itself, Okuharuka, is famous for its characteristic, cherry, sakura flavor. In the aftertaste, you can really feel the legendary sakura taste and aroma, which is loved by many.
For this, it is essential to use the right water. We can't tell you. It requires water with a low mineral content. Mátra spring water can be good in commercial circulation, or Volvic water is well known among coffee drinkers. Among our sources, the Lajos source is the ideal choice for preparing any type of tea.
If none of these are available to you, it is worth getting a water filter jug, whose filter insert makes the tap water sweeter by adding "magnesium" and also filters it from chlorine and other things that don't taste good.
Okuharuka (おくはニる) means “inner spring aroma”. “Oku” is a prefix used for late-blooming varieties, and “haruka” refers to the aroma of cherry blossom leaves that evokes spring.
History of the Okuharuka tea plant variety:
A little tea science, feel free to skip ahead, followed by the preparation guide. 🙂
In 1975, at the Saitama Prefecture Tea Industry Research Station 🙂 , a high-yielding, late-blooming variety, Saitama 20, was crossed with the cold weather-resistant Saitama 7 variety. Saitama 20 is a hybrid of Sayama midori and Yamato midori. Saitama 7 was a seedling selected from a variety called Sai56G1-99, which was a natural cross between Yabukita tea plants. It was finally registered as Okuharuka in 2015.
Characteristics of the Okuharuka tea plant variety:
This variety can be harvested 6-9 days later than Yabukita, which means it is rarely damaged by late frost. The young leaves of Okuharuka are long, thin and somewhat large. Its cuttings take root easily. This variety provides higher yields than Yabukita and is even more resistant to cold weather. Sencha tea has leaves of ideal shape and color. It has a high coumarin content, which is why it has a cherry blossom leaf aroma.
The tea grower, Mr. Katsumi Saitô, has been a passionate tea grower for over 40 years and crosses his own tea bushes, which he propagates by cuttings/shoots.
The garden is only fertilized with plants, organic cultivation. It is located at an altitude of 300-400 meters above sea level. You can see the tea garden in the photos and the road leading there in the videos. 🙂
The special location in the middle of the mountains results in shorter sunny periods, which average approx. 5,5 hours.
These geographical conditions of terroir give the tea a unique flavor profile.
"By avoiding the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, we can prevent soil pollution and river pollution. It is important not to disturb the natural system," says Katsuya Saito.
This tea has bright, light green leaves, very large and long. The taste is sweet, buttery, pronounced tea, with a tasty vegetable soup character. Fresh, crisp smell and taste.
Preparation tip from Mr. Saito
Mr. Saitô recommends 5 g of tea for 50-60 ml of soft water (75-80°C), steeping for 20 seconds. He prepares the tea almost like gyokuros, in shiboridashi. Thus, up to six pours are possible with short soaking times.
