IBR0001 "YAMAKAI" (40g)
Creamy like mayonnaise, grounded like mineral-rich soil. Yamakai — a Sencha unlike anything else.
Yamakai traces its lineage to a native Ibaraki cultivar, and that origin shows in the flavor. The aroma is unusual: creamy, rounded, with a richness that genuinely recalls mayonnaise — not in a jarring way, but in the sense of fat-soluble depth. Beneath that is a steady mineral quality, the kind that makes you feel the tea's roots in the earth.
Ishiyama Tea Factory handles the steaming and drying with care, letting the cultivar's native character come through. Bitterness is present, but umami is woven through it, holding everything together. Each cup tastes like a specific place.
| Brew Temperature | 60°C |
|---|---|
| Brew Time | 2min |
| Tea Amount | 4.0g |
| Water Amount | 120ml |
Point
Yamakai shows its creamy, rounded aroma best when brewed gently. At 60°C the umami leads and the bitterness stays woven in the background, the way this Sashima cultivar is meant to taste.
If you don't have a temperature-controlled electric kettle or a thermometer, use the following method to cool the water to around 60°C.
- Boil water and transfer it to a teacup once.
- Wait about 5 minutes to allow the temperature to drop to around 60°C.
*The temperature drop will vary depending on the shape and material of the teacup.
How to Brew
- Prepare 120ml of water at 60°C.
- Put 4g of tea leaves in the teapot and pour in the hot water.
- After 120 seconds, pour slowly into your cup without shaking the teapot too much.
- The last drop from the teapot holds the fullest flavor of the leaves. Pour every last drop gently.
Reference
| Tea Type | Sencha |
|---|---|
| Cultivar | YAMAKAI |
| Origin | Ibaraki |
| Cultivation Method | Open-field |
| Caffeine Level | Medium |
| Caffeine per Cup | 30mg |
| Net Weight | 40g |
| Cold Brew | Yes |
| Country of Origin | Japan |
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In fact, green tea, black tea, and oolong tea are all from the same tea tree. These tea leaves are put in different tea-producing processes, which makes different taste and aroma from the exact same tea leaves. Ishiyama tea factory cultivates about 20 tea cultivars in Sashima, Ibaraki.
Although Sashima is not a large tea-producing area, it has many tea farmers who cultivate in unique ways that are not seen in other tea-producing areas. Yasuhiro and Namiki, the fifth-generation president of Ishiyama tea factory, are young tea farmers actively try producing black tea, oolong tea, and withering green tea as well as Sencha(green tea). They try cultivating myriads of tea varieties through trial and error every year.
Their “Yamakai” features its unique flavor and moderate bitterness particular to sashima-cha: The bitterness clears the umami that’s spreading slowly, which slightly leaves a bitter aftertaste on your tongue. Their Yamakai of this year has an interesting characteristic that is a slight mayonnaise-like flavor.