There is a small tea garden in the mountains of Yame, in southern Japan.
It sits at around 600 meters above sea level, where the air is cooler than in the towns below and mist often drifts through the hills. The seasons are easy to notice here. Spring arrives in fresh green shoots. Summer deepens the color of the mountains. Autumn brings clearer air, and winter leaves the tea fields quiet for a while.
This is where our tea comes from.
And this is where Yam A Cha begins.
A Place Called Yame
Yame is a tea-growing region in Fukuoka Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu.
It may not be the first place that comes to mind when people outside Japan think of Japanese tea. But tea has long been part of the landscape and everyday life here.
For us, Yame is more than the name of a tea-producing region. It is home.
The mountains, the rivers, the small roads running between fields, and the changing weather are all familiar parts of the place. Tea is simply one part of that landscape, but an important one.
We wanted to find a way to share some of it beyond Yame.
That idea eventually became Yam A Cha.
Tea from the Mountains
Our tea comes from a small mountain garden cultivated without synthetic pesticides.
Growing tea in the mountains is different from growing it on broad, open plains. Temperatures are generally cooler, and there can be a noticeable difference between day and night. Mist and clouds often soften the sunlight.
All of this becomes part of the environment in which the leaves grow.
We do not think tea needs to be described only in terms of how strong its sweetness or umami is.
What interests us is the character of the leaf itself: its freshness, aroma, gentle astringency and earthy qualities, and the way these change depending on how the tea is grown, processed and brewed.
Sometimes a little bitterness or astringency is part of what makes a cup interesting.
Tea does not have to be perfect in one particular way.
Sencha, and a Different Kind of Sencha
Sencha is one of the teas most commonly drunk in Japan.
Freshly picked leaves are steamed soon after harvest, stopping oxidation and preserving much of their green character. The result can be bright and refreshing, delicate or full-bodied, depending on the leaves and how they are prepared.
We also make a lightly withered sencha.
Before the usual processing begins, the fresh leaves are left to rest for a short time. During that period, gentle natural changes take place inside the leaves.
The difference is subtle, but noticeable.
The familiar green character of sencha remains, while a softer, floral aroma begins to appear.
It is still sencha, but seen from a slightly different angle.
We find that small difference fascinating.
Tea in Everyday Life
Japanese tea can sometimes appear very formal from the outside.
There is, of course, a long and beautiful tradition of tea ceremony in Japan. But most tea is not drunk in a tea room.
It is brewed in kitchens, offices and living rooms.
It is poured for guests. It sits beside a meal. Someone makes a pot after coming home. Sometimes it is carefully prepared, and sometimes it is simply made because someone feels like having tea.
We like this ordinary side of Japanese tea.
You do not necessarily need special knowledge or special equipment to enjoy it.
Water, leaves and a few quiet minutes are often enough.
This Journal
There are many things we would like to share here.
Some posts will be about tea itself: how sencha is made, what withering means, how water temperature changes flavor, or why the same leaves can taste different from one cup to the next.
Others will simply be about Yame.
A morning in the mountains.
A change in the weather.
New buds appearing in spring.
What the tea fields look like in winter.
The people who continue to grow tea here.
We do not intend this journal to be an encyclopedia of Japanese tea.
Instead, we hope it can become a small window into the place our tea comes from.
And perhaps, when you brew a cup of tea from Yame, you will be able to imagine a little of the landscape behind it.
The mountains.
The mist.
The changing seasons.
And a small tea garden, somewhere among them.
Welcome to Yam A Cha.