Yamato Tea - Traditional Foods in Japan | Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

NaraYamato Tea

Classification (Large)

Others

Classification (Small)

Beverages

Main ingredients used

Tea leaves

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Region of inheritance

Yamato Highlands region, Nara City, Yamazoe City, Uda City, Oyodo Town, Higashi Yoshino Village

Product overview (special characteristics and types)

Yamato Tea is grown 200 to 500 meters above sea level in the frigid highlands of northwest Nara Prefecture, with production carried out mainly in Nara City and Yamazoe Village, as well as Uda City, Oyodo Town, and Higashi Yoshino Village. The temperature difference between dawn and dusk, an abundant water supply, and the fertile earth all contribute to Yamato Tea’s delightful aroma and rich flavor.
The main types of tea produced are sencha, kabusecha, tencha, and bancha.

History and culture

The origins of Yamato Tea cultivation can be traced back to 806 BC, when Buddhist monk Kukai returned to Japan from China with seeds of tea and planted them at Butsuryuji Temple, located in present-day Uda City, Nara Prefecture.
Since then, the Yamato Highlands region has been well-known as a place for tea production, thanks to its optimal geographical conditions for cultivating tea. Oyodo Town’s “Nikkan Bancha,” a type of Yamato Tea, has been produced since the pre-Edo period, and there are town records from the year 1639 that a particular type of tax for tea was imposed.
Nikkan Bancha is known for its fragrance, low astringency, and smoothness.

Production method

Raw tea leaves are steamed in a steamer before undergoing a process called “Hafurui,” where they are sifted by hand and water is removed. They are then put through “Kaitenmomi,” a step where they are kneaded and turned, before the step called “Momikiri,” during which they are picked up and rubbed between the palms to further dry them out. Next, they undergo “Denguri,” a step which involve them being rolled and elongated into a needle-like shape. After that, a step called “Kokuri” is performed, where the leaves are shaped to give them a luster.
For hand-rubbing methods of tea production, a process like this will take five to six hours to complete. Three kilograms of raw leaves will produce a mere 600 grams of tea leaves and is a greatly laborious task. Mechanization has become the norm in modern day, but by principle, Yamato Tea is produced by hand.
When raw tea leaves are not steamed but taken directly to the kneading process and left to ferment and dry, it produces black tea.
Nikkan Bancha Tea is produced by steaming plucked tea leaves thoroughly before drying them out and roasting them. They are not kneaded or warmed up by hand like other teas; they are left to dry in the sun instead, resulting in their strong aroma and clean flavor.
Tea grown in the highlands produce their first crop roughly a month after the tea in other areas produce their first crop, which is thought to be the most delicious. What is unique to Yamato Tea is that efforts are made to produce a top-quality second crop, which is harvested in July.
After the first crop is harvested, the leftover leaves from the sprouts of the first crop, as well as leaves from the hardened lower stems, are collected in June. This method of collecting the June crop is called the oyako-ban, and the crop harvested and produced during this rainy season of tsuyu in June is called the “Tsuyu Bancha.”

Conservation and succession efforts

With the goal of spreading the name of Yamato Tea around the world in mind, and also to meet recent demand for Japanese tea in the US, the EU, and Taiwan, Nara Prefecture and JA Nara (Japan Agricultural Cooperatives Nara) have collaborated to establish a production system that would meet the standards of these countries of export through various actions, including securing support that has achieved GAP (Good Agricultural Practice, details here) status.
(GAP: managed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). It is a certification for agricultural producers who commit to providing safe agricultural products, the sustainability of the environment, and safety of their workers. The MAFF will then conduct an evaluation of the organization on these points.)
Recognizing the importance of passing down the tea within the local food culture and how the next generation perceives the Yamato Tea brand, elementary and junior high students of Nara Prefecture are invited to field trips hosted by the prefecture-run Yamato Tea Research Center. This interaction between the Research Center and the schools has continued for more than 40 years.
In the past, black tea was also cultivated, but after the import liberalization of black tea, large quantities of cheaper options were imported to Japan and Japan-produced black tea experienced a decline. That being said, there is an audience for the quality provided by Japanese black tea, and production has never stopped.

Main consumption method

Boiling water is poured into yunomi teacups before it is poured into a teapot that already contains leaves. After about a minute, a small but equal amount of the tea is poured into the cups in turn. This method of pouring is called “mawashi-sosogi.” The preferred temperature of the water that the leaves are in is 60 to 70 degrees Celsius. The tea poured from the teapot is poured down to its very last drop. As it is with black tea, the last drop of tea determines the body of its taste.