Yame Sencha - 80g

Yame, Fukuoka: The Grand Cru of Kyushu

Nestled between the Chikugo and Yabe rivers in southern Fukuoka, Yame accounts for only 3% of Japan’s tea production, yet produces nearly 45% of the country’s gyokuro. Each morning, mist rises from the rivers and wraps the plantations in thick layers, filtering direct sunlight and redirecting the plant’s energy from catechins toward amino acids: theanine, glutamic acid, arginine. The chemistry of sweetness and umami, built before a single hand has touched the leaf.

Warm days, cool nights at altitude, and mineral-rich alluvial soils complete the picture. For more than six hundred years, since the Zen master Eirin Shuzui brought back the first tea cultivation and processing methods from China in 1423, growers have learned to work this terroir with an inherited precision, refined from generation to generation. This is the premier cru of Kyushu.

Sensory Profile

The dry leaf appears as deeply steamed needles, an intense forest green with the sheen of lacquered silk. In the cup, the liquor pours an electric emerald green, vibrant, almost neon. On the palate, what strikes first is the body: moist, dense, syrupy. A heavy liquor that coats the palate and lingers, evoking the richness of a gyokuro more than the lightness of a conventional sencha, achieved not through intervention but through the sheer density of the terroir. The attack opens on a powerful, gourmand umami, with notes of buttered greens and toasted nuts, a deep warmth that builds slowly. The astringency is light, just enough to refresh the finish, before giving way to a lingering marine sweetness. And a beautiful length on the palate.

A sencha with presence: round, savory and expressive, for those who love depth in the cup.

The 70 °C Ritual

Above 80 °C, amino acids degrade and catechins take over, erasing precisely what makes this tea exceptional. Brewing at 70 °C is not a precaution: it is the method that reveals this tea in its fullness.

Bring the water to a boil, then let it rest two to three minutes to reach 70 °C. Measure 3 to 4 g, steep for 60 to 90 seconds, then decant completely. Watch the leaves slowly unfurl, releasing the electric green characteristic of Yame. A second infusion of 30 seconds delivers a softer, sweeter register with a light astringency.