Dedicated To Quality Tea

Takayasu Makiuchi

牧内隆泰 From Shizuoka, Japan

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Takayasu Makiuchi has been producing tea for over 30 years in Shizuoka. He believes that the secret to producing the most delicious tea is to listen and speak to the tea leaves. He strives to bring out the deep umami taste that’s naturally in the tea leaves. With handcrafted soil that is abundant with nutrients from fermented soybeans and yogurt, he is confident that his tea is rich in health benefits and flavor like no other.

Mr. Makiuchi’s favorite tea is his very own Fukamushicha, also known as deep-steamed sencha, the signature style of green tea in Shizuoka. He is especially proud of his tea’s vibrant green color and rich flavor. When he has time, he loves to be with nature and visit the ocean.

Minoru Tanaka

田中実 From Hokkaido, Japan

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The Tanaka family has been farming since the early 1900’s, producing the highest quality vegetables and beans on Hokkaido’s nutrient dense soil. Minoru Tanaka is proud to continue maintaining agricultural standards and harvesting methods passed down from his family. His organic herbal teas boast abundance in health benefits and flavor thanks to the best hand-grown ingredients.

Mr. Tanaka’s favorite tea is, of course, his own Kuromame black soybean tea that uses only the beans he has hand-selected. He lives with his wife and son, who both work alongside him growing other vegetables.

Hiroshi Sato

佐藤弘 From Kyoto, Japan

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The Sato family has been harvesting tea for 3 generations. Kyoto is known for the best quality matcha and Mr. Sato is proud to carry on his family’s techniques. He shares that the daytime temperature and nighttime temperature differ drastically in Kyoto, which allows for a stronger aroma to develop in the tea leaves.

Mr. Sato’s favorite tea is a cup of his freshly whisked matcha. The average rainfall is over 50 inches each year in Uji, offering the perfect temperature for tea growing at 15.6°C (60℉).

Masa Yamamoto

山本昌 From Shizuoka, Japan

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Masa Yamamoto learned the intricacies of tea harvesting at an early age from his father and grandfather, still keeping to traditional methods such as producing handmade fertilizer. He believes that the soil determines the quality of the organic tea, which can not be mass produced. Shizuoka has the best environment in Japan for growing tea, hence 40% of all Japanese teas are made in Shizuoka. Shimada City is especially known for it’s long history of producing high quality tea since the 1500’s.

Mr. Yamamoto’s favorite tea is a cup of Gyokuro that is freshly harvested in Spring. In his free time, he also enjoys growing his own fresh vegetables in his garden.