'Lesli' Matcha Samidori 2nd Flush

Tetsuya is a 5th generation tea farmer of Imanishi Seicha which was first started in 1912. Mainly working on tencha, the raw material for matcha, Tetsuya is involved in making sencha, kabusecha, hojicha, and shirocha.
Most of the tea fields managed by Imanishi Seicha are located in Harayama, at the foot of Mount Juho. Wazuka tea has long been cultivated in this area, taking advantage of its favorable weather and soil conditions to cultivate fragrant, high-quality sencha tea. It remains a major tea-producing region, producing roughly half of Uji tea today, and in recent years boasts the nation's top tencha production volume.
They cultivate eight varieties: Zairai (seedling), Yabukita, Meiryoku, Samidori, Saemidori, Okumidori, Sayamakaori, and Gokou.

Uji, in Kyoto Prefecture, is one of Japan’s most storied tea regions, synonymous with tradition and prestige. Tea cultivation in Uji dates back to the 13th century, when Zen Buddhist monks like Eisai brought tea seeds from China and planted them in the Uji area.
The region’s geography – mist-laden hills nourished by the Uji River and fertile, well-drained soils – creates a microclimate perfect for high-quality tea cultivation.
Hot sunny summers and cold winters in Uji help develop rich flavors in the tea leaves, while the area’s gentle morning mists protect the young shoots. This environment, combined with centuries of refinement in tea-making techniques, has made Uji a byword for excellence in Japanese tea.
Local growers in Uji famously pioneered the technique of long-term shading for tea plants to producetencha (the leaf used to make matcha) By covering the tea fields with reed screens or straw mats weeks before harvest, farmers increase the leaves’ chlorophyll and L-theanine content, yielding matcha of a deep emerald hue and exquisite umami sweetness. To this day, Uji is synonymous with top-tier matcha and gyokuro, revered for their smooth, mellow character and complex aroma.