Sekiya's Organic Kamairi‑cha from Miyazaki

Sekiya's Organic Kamairi-cha has a golden tone and a flavor unlike most Japanese green teas. Pan-firing gives it a toasty, nutty quality with notes of edamame, cooked spinach, and toasted almond. There's a sweetness that lingers, very little astringency, and lovely light floral quality reminiscent of oolong. 

This organic Japanese tea comes from Sekiya Hirotsugu, one of only about a dozen people in Japan to hold a 10th dan in tea appraisal. That's the highest grade, earned through annual examinations that test a taster's ability to identify cultivars, picking seasons, and origins by appearance and taste alone. Sekiya was one of the youngest to achieve the rank, and he works with the JA Miyazaki cooperative to create distinctive teas that have earned attention from tea merchants across Japan.

Kamairicha accounts for less than 2% of Japanese tea production. This pan-fired green tea technique came from China in the 15th century and took hold in Kyushu, where it was popular during the Edo period. When steamed sencha took over in the 19th century, kamairicha nearly vanished. Today Miyazaki produces more than half of what remains, and the technique has been recognized as a National Agricultural Heritage.

JAS organic certified. 2025 harvest.