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"Okumidori" is the fourth most widely produced cultivar of green tea in Japan. This time, we would like to introduce this cultivar, which is popular for its powerful flavor and straight aroma without any peculiarities.
A superior cultivar with the fourth largest market share in Japan!
After "Yabukita," "Yutakamidori," and "Saemidori," "Okumidori" is the fourth most widely produced green tea cultivar in Japan. It is rare to find a farmer who does not produce "Okumidori". Every year, we have many opportunities to see this cultivar because it is a very tasty and versatile green tea.
The reason is that "Okumidori" is excellent in every aspect, including taste, aroma, and ease of production. It is a very popular cultivar among farmers and consumers alike.
Characteristics of "Okumidori"
Excellent late-ripening cultivar
"Okumidori" is a late-ripening cultivar that is picked 7 days later than "Yabukita". Many farmers finish the first tea season when picking "Okumidori".
The picking season for tea is very short, and even if you pick sprouts every day during the first tea season, you may not be able to pick them in time for the best harvest.
For such busy farmers, this cultivar, which allows them to pick with a week to spare, is very useful in terms of reducing the workload on the farm.
Incidentally, as the word "Oku" means "late," all cultivars with "Oku" in their names, such as "Okuyutaka" and "Okuharuka," are late-ripening cultivars.
High cold tolerance and easy to grow throughout Japan.
"Okumidori" has high cold tolerance and can be grown in almost all tea-growing regions in Japan. It is susceptible to certain diseases and insect pests, so as long as you take care to use pesticides and other precautions, you can grow this cultivar all over Japan.
As described above, "Okumidori" is an easy-to-grow, valuable late-ripening cultivar that can be grown all over Japan, and it is easy to see why farmers love it.
So, how does "Okumidori" taste?
Taste of "Okumidori"
Rich umami and a fine aroma
The most distinctive characteristic of "Okumidori" is its rich umami.
It does not have a strong astringency or bitterness, and its high amino acid content (theanine) gives it an attractive mild flavor. The aroma has no peculiarities and has a clean scent of green leaves.
The sweetness is brought out by fire-roasting, and roasting aroma can also be added to create a strong, punchy sencha with a powerful flavor. It is one of the most popular teas for both single-origin and combined brews.
Beautiful dark green color
The beautiful light green color is one of the characteristics of "Okumidori". The beauty of this tea is further accentuated when it is grown with Kabuse(shading) or deep steaming, resulting in a tea with an outstandingly beautiful color as a sencha.
In the tea market, where color is important, "Okumidori" is a cultivar that can easily be highly evaluated.
As described above, Okumidori is produced in various regions of Japan and shows various flavors depending on the individuality and ability of the tea grower. Since there are so many cultivars produced in Japan, it is recommended that you compare different varieties depending on their production areas and farmers.