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.

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℉).