Green tea is said to have been brought to Shiga some 1,200 years ago by the high priest Saichō. This tea is a first harvest from a zairai species that has long grown wild in the region. Grown from seed rather than grafted, zairai offers a distinctive character. Using vegetable fertilizer, this strain—shared with sencha_zairai_musehi—develops an impactful flavor comparable to hybrid cultivars. The result is a sencha full of vitality with a remarkably clear taste.
Category: Sencha (cultivated without pesticides and chemical fertilizers)
Cultivar: Native species of Shiga Prefecture
Origin: Shiga Prefecture
Harvest: May 2025
Net Weight: 50g
SKU: TS0525ak
* Package image for illustration purposes only.
Brewing Guidelines
This is how we brew this tea at Tearoom Toka. We offer these guidelines as a reference. Variations in water (hard or soft), leaf and water quantity, water temperature, and steeping time will effect the final flavor. Feel free to experiment and find the brew that best suits your taste.
Leaves: 8g
Water: 60ml
Temperature: starting from 50°C
Time: 50 sec
Add the tea leaves to a pre-warmed teapot. When the boiled water has cooled to the desired temperature, add and steep for the selected time. When pouring, the key is to decant each infusion down to the last drop. From the second infusion on, gradually raise the temperature of the hot water and shorten the extraction time. You may increase the amount of water as well.
Profile
Leaves
Color〈dark brown 〉
Shape〈differently sized sword tips〉
Fragrance〈thick forest, green bamboo grass, green apple, rush〉
Taste〈cucumber, bamboo grove, almond, a hint of roasted cashew nuts〉
Tea
Color〈daffodil yellow〉
Fragrance(brewed tea)〈melon, raw almond〉
Fragrance(steeped leaves)〈boiled lettuce, radish, charcoal, raw rice, grain vinegar〉
Sweetness〈fresh nashi〉
Astringency〈burdock, walnut, spinach, a faint note of black pepper〉
Umami〈konbu dashi, umami of beans, bambooshoot, tofu〉
Bitterness〈cacao, bittern salt〉
Acidity〈a slight note of yogurt〉
Pairing
Hour〈02:51 p.m.〉
Sweets〈apple pie with vanilla ice cream 〉