Shizuoka is a beautiful province located mid coast of Japan.  In Shizuoka city, from a lofty building you are treated to a panoramic view that stretches from the ocean to the famous Mt. Fuji.  In between, the lush green mountains reach like fingers to the sea. 
After arrival on the Shinkansen bullet train we headed for the tea gardens.  We weaved and twisted up well maintained but narrow roads, climbing some 3000 feet to arrive at the gardens that produce our tea. Unlike some other areas, much of the tea is produced in small family owned gardens that have been passed along from generation to generation.  Although, some of this is changing as younger family members pursue other more glamorous occupations farms are being purchased by larger companies.

Tea Garden with representation of Mt. Fuji

The 1st flush produced late in the Spring is the source of the best teas, including Gyokuro, Sincha and high quality Sencha.  The 2nd and the occasional 3rd flush are considered to be of lesser quality, and go into the production of lesser quality Sencha, and Bancha.  Once the picking is done for the year, the bushes are severely cut back to prevent the plant from flushing until the next Spring.
After the leaves are plucked and withered they are partially dried, and shipped to the factory.  Tea at this stage, called aracha or raw tea, still contains twigs and debris and is not suitable for drinking.

From here we wound back down the mountain to visit a large computer controlled tea factory which is capable of receiving up to 30 tons of leaves per day from as many as 200 different farms. The leaves are in motion almost all the time in the factory, and as they enter are constantly aerated to prevent them from starting to oxidize.  The factory is a well organized, clean facility full of specialized machinery that sort, heat, shape and dry the leaves in a manner that imitates the hand production methods from centuries past.  At the end of the day the 30 tons of aracha will yield 5-6 tons of leaves.
Still, the highest quality teas are produced in small batches which

Making Genmaicha

require much more attention and processing.  To begin with, all of the leaves are produced by a small number of gardens to assure quality and consistency.  Once the aracha is received another important step is to refrigerate almost to freezing the leaves until they are ready to be processed. 
Once in the factory, they are sorted by size before roasting so that each leaf is properly handled. Two different processes are used to sort out the stems, which will be used for Kukicha, from the leaves.  The tea master then tastes the processed leaves, and blends the various sizes together to achieve a balance of flavors.  The finished tea is then vacuum packed and placed in cold storage until it is shipped.
At The Tea Smith, we have always been proud of the quality of our Japanese teas.  Having seen the care and attention with which they are grown, processed and handled it becomes clear that we are really treated to some of the finest teas that Japan has to offer. 

I would encourage you to experiment with the teas and discover the unique and relaxing experience that is imparted by a brilliant cup of Gyokuro, or Sencha Shin Ryoku.