KAG0001 "OKUMIDORI" (40g)
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Laver on the nose, spinach through the finish. Covered, deep-steamed, built for intensity.
Kenichiro Shimokubo grows this at Shimokubo Isao Tea Factory on 45 hectares of Kagoshima farmland, tending more than 20 cultivars with hand-made organic fertilizer and regular soil analysis. The covered cultivation concentrates umami here — not the gentle milky kind, but something fuller: like the rich green weight of fresh laver, with a clean vegetal note underneath that reads as steamed spinach and fresh leaf.
Brew at 70°C to let the umami open without tipping into bitterness. Cold brew shifts the character entirely — quieter, sweeter, the kind you drink glass after glass without noticing.
Point
Mr. Shimokubo's "Okumidori" is a tea characterized by its soft sweetness, rich umami, and roasted aroma.
If you brew it at a too high temperature, it will become too bitter, and even at a low temperature, it will not have enough aroma, so it will seem a little unsatisfactory.
So first try to enjoy it at 70 degrees Celsius, where it has a good balance of aroma and sweetness/taste.x
If you don't have a temperature-controlled electric kettle or thermometer, use the following method to cool the water.
- Boil water and transfer to a teacup once.
- Wait for 2 minutes to allow the temperature to drop to around 80 degrees.
*The temperature drop will vary depending on the shape and material of the teacup.
How to Brew
- Prepare the water at 80 degrees Celsius.
- Put the tea leaves in the teapot and pour the hot water.
- After 60 seconds, pour the water into the teapot, shaking it slightly.
- The last drop from the teapot is a superb drop of tea, rich in the flavor of the tea leaves. Pour every last drop of tea gently.
Reference
Behind the Sip
Shimokubo Isao Tea Factory
Forty-five hectares. That is the area of tea fields Shimokubo-san manages. Roughly ten Tokyo Domes, if that helps — a single continuous operation of 600 by 900 meters. Among the tea producers we work with, most manag...
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