From Field to Cup

Every step — from shading and harvesting to steaming, rolling, drying, and final processing — is handled by our family in our own factory. Here is how our tea is made.

The Year on the Farm

Tea farming follows the seasons. Each harvest yields a different kind of tea, and the work between harvests — weeding, fertilizing, shading, pruning — is what makes the harvest possible. Here is how the year unfolds.

Kabuse — Shading the Tea

In early April, before the spring harvest begins, we cover select fields with shade cloth — a process called kabuse (冠せ). The cloth blocks a portion of sunlight for roughly 20 days before picking, fundamentally changing the chemistry of the leaf.

When a tea plant is deprived of light, it compensates by producing more chlorophyll and L-theanine (the amino acid responsible for umami sweetness) while producing fewer catechins (the compounds that cause astringency and bitterness). The result is a sweeter, richer, more deeply green tea — our Premium Kabuse.

The degree of shading and its duration are a deliberate choice. Our kabusecha sits between a standard sencha and a full gyokuro — shaded long enough to deepen umami and chlorophyll, while preserving the fresh, aromatic character of a mountain-grown sencha. It is one of our most distinctive teas.

Green Tea: From Leaf to Aracha

Initial processing of our green tea is done by Kazuki Kinezuka (一起). Tea harvested in the spring and autumn is brought to the factory and processed the same day — freshness is everything. The goal of this stage is to produce aracha (荒茶), or crude tea: the semi-finished product that preserves the leaf's character until it undergoes final processing closer to delivery.

The entire aracha line — from fresh leaf entering the steamer to finished crude tea — takes approximately six hours in our factory. This is deliberately slower than many operations. We use dedicated machinery at each stage rather than doubling up, which means the leaf is never rushed. Each rolling and drying step proceeds at its own optimal pace, preserving the delicate aromatics that define high-quality mountain-grown sencha.

Here is each stage of the line.

1. Steaming — 蒸し (Mushi)

Steaming is the defining step in most Japanese green tea production. While Chinese green tea is pan-fired in a wok to halt oxidation, the majority of Japanese tea is steamed — which is how the leaves maintain their vivid green color and their characteristic marine, vegetal aroma.

There is one notable exception: kamairicha (釜炒り茶), a pan-fired Japanese green tea produced primarily in Kyushu. Rather than being steamed, the leaves are fired in a heated metal pan — a method introduced from China centuries ago. The result is a curlier leaf and a rounder, nuttier cup that sits somewhere between a Japanese sencha and a Chinese green tea. We offer kamairicha in our catalog alongside our steamed teas.

For our own steamed teas, the steaming time has a profound impact on the finished tea's flavor, aroma, and appearance. 一起 adjusts the steaming duration based on the condition of the leaf as it enters the factory — its moisture content, thickness, and tenderness. Decisions are made batch by batch.

We produce some fukamushi, but the majority of our green tea is light- or mid-steamed. Mountain-grown tea like ours has thinner, more delicate leaves — a product of cooler temperatures, less sun exposure, and greater fluctuations between day and night. These leaves are best served by shorter steaming, which preserves their complex aromatics and produces the clear, luminous liquor that distinguishes mountain sencha from its lowland counterpart.

2. Cooling & Primary Rolling — 粗揉 (Sojyu)

After steaming, the leaves are cooled and then tumbled inside a heated drum. This stage begins the drying process while gently breaking down the cell walls of the leaf. The combination of heat and tumbling starts to reduce moisture content and sets the stage for the shaping that follows.

3. Rolling — 揉捻 (Juunen)

The leaves are pressed and rolled under mechanical pressure, this time without heat. The purpose is to distribute moisture evenly throughout the leaf — drawing it from the stems and veins into the surface. Even moisture distribution is critical for consistent drying in the stages that follow.

4. Secondary Rolling — 中揉 (Chuujyu)

Heat is reintroduced alongside continued rolling. This stage further reduces moisture while beginning to shape the leaf. The leaves are gently dried and compressed, moving closer to the characteristic form of finished sencha.

5. Final Rolling — 精揉 (Seijyu)

The defining shaping step. The leaves are pressed and rolled into the tight, needle-like form that characterizes Japanese sencha. This shape is not merely aesthetic — it concentrates flavor inside the rolled leaf, which then unfurls and releases its character when brewed with hot water. The tighter and more uniform the roll, the more controlled the extraction.

6. Drying — 乾燥 (Kanso)

The rolled leaves are dried to a moisture content of approximately 5%. At this point, the tea is aracha — crude tea. It still contains stems, dust, and leaf particles of varying size, and it has not yet undergone the final firing that determines its finished flavor profile. Aracha is stored under controlled conditions until it is ready for final processing.

Black Tea: Setoya Momiji

Our black tea is made from summer-harvested leaves — a different season, a different process, and a different kind of tea entirely.

The Role of Unka

While spring's cool temperatures keep insects at bay, summer's heat and humidity create ideal conditions for a tiny green leafhopper called unka (ウンカ). When unka bite the tea leaves, oxidation begins in the still-living plant, triggering the production of defensive compounds that alter the leaf's flavor and aroma. This transformation — undesirable for green tea — is exactly what makes these leaves suited to black tea production. It is also the same phenomenon behind Taiwan's famous Oriental Beauty oolong, where leafhopper-bitten leaves produce honey-sweet, fruity notes.

Withering

After harvest, the summer leaves are delivered to our black tea factory and spread out in a well-ventilated room to wither for roughly 12 hours, depending on the moisture content of the leaf and ambient conditions. Withering softens the leaf and begins to concentrate its flavor compounds, preparing it for rolling.

Rolling

The withered leaves are fed through rolling machines imported from Sri Lanka, which bruise and cut the leaf to break open its cell walls. This exposes the leaf's juices to air, accelerating oxidation — the key chemical process that turns green leaf into black tea. The degree of rolling determines how quickly and evenly oxidation proceeds.

Oxidation & Drying

After rolling, the leaves are spread out and left to oxidize in a controlled environment. As oxidation progresses, the leaves darken and their flavor deepens — from grassy and astringent toward sweet, malty, and floral. When the desired level of oxidation is reached, the leaves are heated to halt the process, then dried. The result is Setoya Momiji — a Japanese black tea with a naturally sweet, floral character, lighter in body than Indian or Sri Lankan black teas, with honey and stone-fruit notes.

Houjicha: Roasted Tea

Houjicha is made by roasting finished green tea at high temperatures. The roasting process transforms the leaf's character entirely — replacing the vegetal, marine notes of sencha with warm, toasty, caramel-like flavors. It also significantly reduces caffeine, making houjicha one of the gentlest teas to drink.

We produce two houjicha. Our Premium Houjicha is roasted from first-flush spring leaves — a luxury, since spring tea is typically reserved for sencha. It has a rich, woodsy depth with a smooth finish. Our standard Houjicha is made from autumn-harvested leaves (bancha), producing a nuttier, more full-bodied roast.

Roasting temperature and duration are adjusted depending on the leaf and the desired result. A lighter roast preserves more of the tea's original sweetness; a deeper roast produces a bolder, more toasty character. The roasting is done close to delivery to preserve freshness.

Matcha: From Shade to Stone

Matcha production begins in the field with shading — the same principle as kabusecha, but taken further. Tea plants destined for matcha are covered for 20–30 days before harvest, using shade cloth or traditional reed screens (kanreisha). This extended period of shade deprivation forces the plant to produce high levels of chlorophyll and L-theanine while suppressing the catechins that cause bitterness. The result is a leaf that is intensely green, deeply sweet, and rich in umami.

After harvest, the shaded leaves are steamed — just as with sencha — but the similarities end there. Instead of being rolled into needles, the leaves are dried flat in a tiered tencha furnace. The dried, unrolled leaf — with its stems and veins removed — is called tencha (碾茶): the raw material for matcha.

Tencha is then ground into the fine powder that we know as matcha. Traditional granite stone mills grind tencha at a pace of roughly 30–40 grams per hour — deliberately slow to avoid generating heat, which would damage the tea's color and flavor. The resulting particle size is approximately 5–10 microns, finer than talcum powder, which is what allows matcha to suspend in water rather than merely steep. Our matcha is available in both ceremonial and culinary grades.

Final Processing: Shiage

Final processing — shiage (仕上げ) — of all our tea is done by Tamiko Kinezuka (民子). This is where aracha becomes the finished tea that reaches your cup. Shiage is performed as close to delivery as possible, so that the tea retains the best possible flavor and aroma.

Sorting & Grading

Aracha arrives from the factory with stems, leaf particles, and dust mixed together. 民子 sorts the tea by size and separates the stems (kuki) from the leaf. These stems are not discarded — they become Kukicha Midori, a tea prized for its fresh, savory sweetness. During spring, the tea is examined daily to determine its grade and composition.

Hi-ire — The Final Firing

Hi-ire (火入れ) — the final drying and firing — is the most critical step in shiage. This is where the finished character of the tea is determined. Different teas require different treatment: kabusecha needs a low temperature and slow drying to protect its delicate shaded-leaf sweetness, while a bold autumn bancha can tolerate higher heat.

Spring tea has a distinct character for the second month after harvest, so a gentler temperature is used during that period. The method also shifts with the season and the market: in spring, many Japanese customers prefer a milder, fresher tea, while in winter they favor a bolder, more roasted profile. 民子 adjusts the temperature and duration accordingly.

Blending

Most of our finished teas are blends of aracha from different fields and different harvesting days, composed to achieve a consistent flavor profile for each product. 民子 evaluates each batch — checking the shape of the leaves, the color of the liquor, the aroma, and the taste — and assembles the blend. Single-cultivar teas, when available, are kept separate and offeredthrough our samples program.

The entire process — from fresh leaf to finished tea — reflects a single philosophy: never rush the leaf. Each stage has the time it needs. The result is a tea whose complexity comes not from blending tricks or additives, but from the land where it grew, the hands that harvested it, and the patience with which it was made.