We will introduce the history of Uogashi Meicha, our way of thinking about tea making and the characteristics of our products.
Uogashi Meicha was established in 1931 by Tadashi Tsuchiya, the president from two generations ago.The tea of Uogashi Meicha was born when Tadashi and Heizaburo Yamamoto met. Heizaburo is the creator of the deep-steamed tea method which is common now.After the war, Tadashi who was traveling in Shizuoka looking for tea met Mr. Heizaburo. Tadashi was impressed by the tea made by him and began selling deep-steamed tea.Back then, the deep-steamed tea making method was yet incomplete, so Tadashi and Heizaburo completed it and started selling their tea in Tsukiji, Tokyo which became widely known.When deep-steamed tea began selling, powdery deep-steamed teas that only give the green color started to appear in the market. However, the original color of tea is yellow and golden.Uogashi Meicha will continue to deliver genuine yellow, golden deep-steamed tea that is steamed to the core and thoroughly heated.
Rather than appealing to all tastes, we value making unique teas that get you hooked.
When we try to please everyone, teas will end up without character.
Even if they are palatable, you would not want to drink another cup.
We accept that it may not be right for some people, but if we make teas that bring out the characteristics of the tea leaves, then 10% to 20% of them will become our core fans.
All of tea making boils down to this.
Having your own tea plantation.
Holding study sessions with our farmers.
Blending tea leaves in house.
Only selling at company stores.
All of this is for making unique teas.
The color of the water of teas sold at Uogashi Meicha look yellow and golden when you prepare tea from them.
From the image of the word “green tea”, you may wonder, however, it is the original color of Japanese tea.
Tea tints water when tea leaves break down and become powdery.
Deep-steamed tea becomes dark green especially if you use thin, flaccid leaves and becomes yellow or golden if you use thick high-quality tea leaves.
In other words, yellow and golden colored water is a testimony of using high-quality tea leaves.
Almost all tea leaves presented at tea exhibitions that cost many thousands of yen per 100g are clear and colorless.
You would assume that if the color is light, the taste and aroma would be light as well, but that’s not the case.
Teas with umami and aroma can be felt strongly, yet pure and not filling.
Please try tasting them.
Until a decade ago, mainstream packages were green or brown for every store.
Many of the shapes were a flat bag or tea leaf box style and no improvements were made.
As with the taste of our teas, we continue to cherish individuality in packaging as well.
We expand the image of each product with designers, calligraphers, and illustrators to offer packages that you can’t find anywhere else.
The look of Uogashi Meicha's products gives you a cheerful and fun feeling.
Please put some in your hands.
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