Kogacha Gyo Premium Yame Sencha

This Yame sencha announces itself the moment you open the bag. The aroma is rich and vegetal with a hint of sweetness. In the cup, the pale green-yellow liquor coats your mouth and finishes with a lingering sweetness balanced by a pleasant touch of astringency. It's the kind of Japanese green tea that rewards multiple steeps, developing more depth as you go.

This tea comes from Kogacha Gyo, the same Yame operation behind our Koga Family Yame Sencha. Where that tea uses a longer steaming time for a silkier, more umami-forward character, this one is lighter-steamed, preserving the long needle-shaped leaves and bringing out more aromatic complexity and a brighter finish. Founded in 1938 in Fukuoka, Kogacha Gyo is now led by fourth-generation tea maker Koga Kumiko alongside her mother Satoko and father Masahiro. Their teas are well-regarded enough that one of their senchas is served aboard the Seven Stars, the luxury train that crosses Kyushu.

Blend of Yabukita and Saemidori cultivars. First flush Japanese green tea, spring 2025.