Yame Sencha

1. Warm your teaware by rinsing with freshly boiled water. This helps maintain temperature during brewing.
2. Heat water to 100°C, then allow it to cool to approximately 75°C.
3. Add 3g of tea leaves per person to your kyusu or teapot, and pour over 100ml of water per serving.
4. Steep for 30-45 seconds, then pour evenly between cups if serving multiple people to ensure a balanced infusion.
5. Re-infuse the leaves up to two additional times, using slightly hotter water and shorter steeping times with each brew.

I recommend this method for this tea, but feel free to adjust water temperature, leaf ratio, and steeping time to suit your personal taste.

An alternative brewing method for this tea that yields an even stronger umami and richness is to make the first infusion at 60°C for 60s.

This is a full bodied Sencha of the highest order. Chocolaty vegetal notes greet you as you open the bag. The first steep at 75°C gives a vibrant yet restrained liquor. Take a moment to smell the steam rising from your cup and you may detect hints of sugar snap peas and fruit. This carries over in the taste, where vegetable flavours full of umami mingle with subtly sweet and fruity undertones to give a well rounded and complete profile. This tea has very low bitterness and a mild astringency that coats the mouth.

2025 First harvest

Produced at the family-run tea estate, Kogacha Gyō in Yame, one of Japan’s most esteemed tea-growing regions. The area’s rich soils, misty climate, and favourable growing conditions create an ideal environment for the master growers at Kogacha Gyō to produce deeply flavourful, high-quality teas.

A blend of Saemidori and Yabukita.

Although not a Fukamushi or deep steamed tea, this example from Yame is steamed for longer than typical Sencha teas. Notice the dry leaves are slightly more broken than you may expect due to this steaming process.

The result is a deeply satisfying Sencha with abundant body and umami, yet remarkably low bitterness and astringency, making it both approachable and highly rewarding to drink.

I was convinced by this tea the first time I tried it. Its rich and delicate flavour offered something completely unique and distinct from the many other teas I considered for Izumi Tea.

Part of my goal with Izumi Tea is to showcase the best that Japanese Green Tea has to offer and with this tea I feel I'm doing just that.

It's complex, savoury, sweet and bursting with layers of decadent umami.

Beginners and tea aficionados alike will find something to love about this tea, and like me i'm sure you'll find yourself reaching for it when you need a taste of something special.

I aim to dispatch all orders within 1–2 working days. standard delivery is Royal Mail Tracked 48 - delivery typically takes 2-3 working days from dispatch. You’ll receive tracking details by email once your order is on its way.