I absolutely enjoy Japanese tea and I was quite pleased to see that Tea Kitamura from Nagasaki, Kyushu, would be releasing their tea worldwide via Amazon. Giving ocha lovers the chance to try their delicious, organic tea.
The company was founded in 1954 by Kitamura Chikaji, who would take a rough mountain terrain to cultivate his own tea farm.
But his biggest challenge was when a customer requested him to produce a completely organic tea crop which was unheard of as most tea farmers utilized pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
And while he wanted to take on the challenge, others scoffed at him, because they didn’t think it was possible. But for Kitamura, he wanted to produce a safe tea that his grandchildren can drink.
And it wasn’t an easy success, it took many years of trial and error and now Kitamura Tea Farm has become one of Japan’s most respected producers of certified organic single origin green teas.
In 1995, he was awarded the Japan Agriculture Pioneer Award and in 2012, he was awarded the Yellow Ribbon Medal of Honor by the Japanese emperor.
The company’s teas are also certified organic by the Japanese Agricultural Standard (JAS) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
I am reviewing Tea Kitamura’s Organic Roasted Tea (Hochija) which is a green tea roasted in an iron pot over charcoal. The process makes it sweeter and less astringent and the taste of the tea is toasted and delicious.
The aroma also has a hint of cocoa but I find it mild and delicious and for new tea drinkers, I classify this as safe, easy and mild enough for those who want to start drinking tea, to start off with the Tea Kitamura Organic Roasted Tea Leaf.
The price is under $14 which is great for a loose leaf tea from Japan.
Definitely recommended!
