JAPAN: MIYAZAKI ORGANIC TEA GARDEN BY THE MORIMOTO FAMILY
The Morimoto family’s organic tea garden is located on the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands, not far from the city of Miyazaki in the prefecture of the same name.
Working together towards a diverse organic tea garden – fifty years as a tea farming couple
Haruyo and Shigeru Morimoto love their organic tea garden. For them, their teas are like lovingly cared-for children that they entrust to people who appreciate them in faraway Europe.
The story of Morimoto green tea began over fifty years ago. In 1971, at the age of twenty-two, the newlyweds took over the tiny family tea garden of Shigeru’s parents Ryotaro (father) and Fumie (mother) Morimoto. At the time, the tea garden consisted of just a single one-hectare plot. Over the years, the two have developed into a perfect team. As their experience in tea cultivation grew, so did the size of the tea garden. Today, they cultivate around eight hectares spread over twelve plots with passion and conviction.
From tea bush to finished tea – everything from a single source
The Morimotos process the freshly harvested tea leaves in their own production facility. They operate this almost exclusively as a couple. Depending on the type of leaves and production method, they produce sencha, kabusecha, kukicha, houijcha, tamaryokucha and matcha. The final processing – taken over by large companies for many Japanese teas – is carried out on site as well, under Shigeru’s watchful eye, and guided by his experienced hands in their own refining room.
Production and refining take place just a few steps across the yard from the family home. This allows the different generations of the Morimoto family to come together for a convivial meal during harvest time. Vegetables from the small home garden and mountain plants that grow wild around the tea gardens are often served.
While Haruyo is enthusiastically involved in harvesting the tea leaves, Shigeru has achieved true mastery in the art of processing them.
The vision of a perfect tea
Morimoto teas are characterised by Shigeru Morimoto’s clear vision of perfect tea. At every single stage of tea production, from the cultivation of the tea bushes to the processing of aracha and the final processing, the two do everything they can to come a little closer to this ideal. This can also be seen in the construction of the pre-processing hall, where aracha (raw tea) is produced. In addition to the usual machines and processing paths, Shigeru has introduced numerous of his own ingenious tricks, equipment and methods. During the final processing, he likes to use gentle final heating. This helps the Morimoto teas to fully develop their characteristic purity and freshness of flavour. Over the decades, the Morimotos have created their very own style of Japanese tea.
Organic cultivation since 1977
The cultivation method also plays a major role. In 1977, the Morimotos started growing organic tea in a small tea field near their home. They wanted nothing more than for their two young daughters to play in the greenery next to the house without their health being harmed by the pesticides that were omnipresent at the time.
As true pioneers of organic tea cultivation, the Morimotos acquired all the knowledge themselves, step by step, at a time when organic farming was considered an arduous and fruitless endeavour, if not a folly. But after a comparatively short time, the young couple’s initial experiments brought pleasing results: the tea bushes thrived even without the application of pesticides and artificial fertilisers!
Gratitude towards nature
Growing natural teas in ecological balance is a valuable goal for the Morimotos. They do not produce “organic” because they hope for higher profits or better market opportunities, but out of the deepest conviction. The two often gently stroke the green leaves as they walk through their fields, occasionally folding their hands and bowing to the tea bushes. In every gesture, you feel their gratitude for nature, the plants and the soil, the insects and microorganisms, the wind, the sun, and the rain.
A variety of cultivars
A characteristic concept of their tea garden is the great diversity of tea bush varieties. Different varieties (cultivars) not only taste and smell differently, but also react differently to the climate, weather, light conditions, and insects. If one variety suffers in a particular year, for example due to an infestation by a certain pest, this does not immediately mean a complete loss of harvest for the tea garden. The great diversity allows the Morimotos to decide each year which tea garden plots they want to shade and which they prefer to grow in the open air. They pay careful attention to the health and vigour of their tea bushes, observing and feeling the fresh shoots.
In a team with two daughters and grandson Shota
The two young daughters from back then have long since grown up. The eldest daughter, Yukie, has worked in the family tea garden for many years. She supports her parents all year round with harvesting, processing, and despatching the teas, as well as tending the tea gardens. During particularly labour-intensive periods, her younger sister Tae also supports her parents alongside her actual work. The sisters enjoy goofing around with each other and with Hana-chan, the small fluffy dog. But they also do the work with the utmost care and conviction. One of their tasks is the time-consuming cleaning of the processing facilities every evening, this is undoubtedly an immense help to their parents. Some neighbours and Shigeru’s old school friends also help fix the shade nets for making kabusecha, and pull weeds – a tedious, constant challenge in organic farming.
Full of energy and “Haruyo power”, even over 70
Haruyo distributes hugs and emanates her irrepressible “Haruyo power” with a beaming smile, while Shigeru tells jokes and anecdotes with a cheeky smile. It’s hard to believe that they are both well into their seventies. They have retained their youthful charisma and zest for life. Even today, Haruyo often works through the night in the heat of harvest time, and Shigeru hardly sleeps more than four hours before returning to his teas. But their enjoyment of nature, of tea, and of feedback from enthusiastic tea drinkers, gives the couple an incredible amount of energy.
A trusting partnership
Year after year, the Morimotos produce a variety of exciting teas for MARIMO, which the Morimotos do not supply to anyone else. This is because clear and unwavering principles are important to them – not only when it comes to sustainable, natural production methods, but also when it comes to their partners. First and foremost, they place great importance on deep mutual trust. Thanks to their close collaboration with MARIMO, the Morimotos have even been able to revive old production methods, such as the curly kabusecha GO EN, for the first time. Even after so many years, the Morimotos never tire of trying new things. Shigeru is in contact with a childhood friend who is researching tea cultivation and processing methods at a research centre, and the two of them tinker with new ideas in their spare time with youthful curiosity.
ORGANIC GREEN TEA FROM THE MORIMOTO FAMILY IN MIYAZAKI
MORIMOTO TOKUJOU KABUSECHA (Organic)
At the end of April, the leaves for the Tokujou Kabusecha are harvested and gently processed in the Morimoto’s own facilities. The leaves come from the varieties Oku Midori, Yabukita and Minami Sayaka, which had been covered with dark nets for about 10 days to two weeks before the harvest. Through shading, tea plants develop intensive sweetness, strong umami, and a beautiful green colour. The tea impresses with its intense sweetness.
MORIMOTO SENCHA (Organic)
MINAMI SAYAKA
The fine leaves harvested in early June (mainly from the varieties Oku Midori, Kanaya Midori and Minami Sayaka) are the basis for this fine tea.
The Minami Sayaka leaves are responsible for the fruity fragrance and the vibrant green colour. The Oku Midori leaves ensure the tender sweetness, while Yabukita leaves create a well-rounded mild basis.
MORIMOTO TAMAMORI (Organic)
For the Morimoto Tamamori, tea bushes of the Oku Midori and Yabukita varieties are shaded for two weeks before the harvest. The tea is harvested in June. It is a full-bodied and refreshing tea with fine nuances of sweet fruits. warming mouthfeel. Like most of the Morimotos‘ teas it is only gently heated, preserving its fresh character. With its fine sweetness and well-integrated umami, the Morimoto Tamamori is a great companion for everyday.
MORIMOTO MIZUDASHI SENCHA (Organic)
Light and fine tea leaves of the Miyazaki Tokujou Sencha (1st harvest) are sorted out under air circulation. This delicate tea mainly consists of leaves from the tea bush varieties Oku Midori, Minami Sayaka and Yabukita. Prepared with cold water, the fine leaves quickly unfold and give a wonderfully green, refreshing infusion. Ideal for hot summer days. When brewed with warm water it produces nicely sweet and full-bodied infusions. Pyramid bags (5g tea per tea bag).
MORIMOTO HOUJICHA (Organic)
Big leaves from the autumn harvest and some smaller leaf stalks are roasted gently for this unique Houjicha. Morimoto Houjicha combines fine shades of roasting flavour with the somewhat rough taste of strong green tea. During the roasting, the small leaf stalks absorb some of the heat, thus the leaves are allowed to stay green as they are only slightly roasted. In its flavour, this tea convinces with a subtle touch of caramel.
MORIMOTO KABUSECHA (Organic)
This fine-needled Kabuse Sencha is made from the shaded leaves of the early June harvest, each year selecting the best tea bush variety of the year. Sweetness and a long-lasting taste characterise this tea. In contrast to other Kabuse teas which are usually available on the market, the Morimoto Kabusecha convinces with a outstanding diversity of nuances which all together result in an exciting, fruity and sweet green tea.
MORIMOTO KUKICHA (Organic)
A fresh and flowery stem tea, with a pleasant smoothness and fresh fragrance. Compared to the Morimoto Shiraore, which consists only of small, flat kuki and extremely tender leaves and leaf buds, the kuki and leaves of the Morimoto Kukicha are somewhat bigger. We recommend this tea for everyday use and for green tea beginners because it is easy to brew, and the freshness of the spring harvest enfolds straightforwardly.
MORIMOTO SHINCHA (Organic)
Morimoto Shincha is a blend of the two tea bush varieties Yutaka Midori and Saki Midori. Both varieties begin to grow very early and can truly be called carriers of spring freshness. The flowery fresh Yutaka Midori, which is shaded for about 10 days, makes the tea well-balanced; the rather vibrant Saki Midori adds the necessary amount of spice. Altogether, this results in a fresh, gentle tea with outstanding sweetness and balance. Saisonal tea!
MORIMOTO SHIRAORE (Organic)
1st harvest
Premium Kabuse Kukicha
Remarkably elegant first harvest tea: finest leaf buds, delicate young leaves and a few flat, finely assorted leaf stalks – freshly sweet and yielding several infusions – a true rarity! The Shiraore also enfolds its beautiful flavour when prepared with cold water (mizudashi). The basis of this tea consists of the fine, flat and light-green stalks and fine leaves of the varieties Oku Midori, Minami Sayaka and Yabukita. Since the 2014 harvest, the Morimoto Shiraore is a 100% shaded tea (kabusecha).
MIYAZAKI YANAGICHA / BANCHA (Organic)
The slightly bigger leaves and freshly regrown buds for this unique Yanagicha (after-crop of the 1st harvest) are harvested in early May, shortly after the first harvest of the finer leaves for the Morimoto Tokujou Sencha and various Kabusecha. The somewhat thicker leaves, which are not rolled to needles, but folded flat, are especially high-yielding. The Morimoto family’s Yanagicha is distinguished by its floral fragrance and its typical strong bancha flavour. The tea is very high-yielding: up to 5 infusions are possible. The later infusions can even evoke Oolong flavour, even though this tea is not fermented.
MORIMOTO TOKUJOU SENCHA (Organic)
Morimoto Tokujou Sencha is the best mostly unshaded Sencha from the Morimotos. We benefit from their abundant experience in cultivating and processing this uniquely fine tea. The leaves for the Morimoto Tokujou Sencha are harvested in late April and gently processed in the Morimoto’s own facilities. The fine leaves mainly come from the tea bush varieties Yabukita, Oku Midori and Minami Sayaka. The tea impresses with its full-bodied flavour, the infusion is vibrant green and its fragrance gently sweet.
MORIMOTO SENCHA (Organic)
OKUMIDORI
Leaves of the June and August harvest (mainly from the Okumidori variety) are the basis for this balanced mild everyday tea. The Morimoto Sencha Okumidori results in a bright and clear infusion.
After the June harvest, the Morimoto family cuts the tea bushes down to a large extent. This makes the leaves of the August harvest finer and fresher compared to many other tea gardens.
MORIMOTO SENCHA MIT MATCHA (Organic)
The fine and partly shaded leaves of the early June harvest (mainly from the varieties Minami Sayaka, Oku Midori and Yabukita) are the basis for this fine tea. Fine powder tea (Matcha) from the spring harvest in the Morimotos‘ tea garden is mixed with the leaves. This tea’s specialty is its wide range of flavours. The sweet taste of matcha stands out during the first infusion, while this fine sencha’s almost flowerlike sweetness emerges in later infusions.
GO EN (Organic)
TOKUJOU KABUSE TAMARYOKUCHA
Based on taste criteria, probably every practiced tea connoisseur will classify the GO EN as a high-quality Gyokuro. However, the GO EN’s pleasant soft sweetness not only results from the intense shading, but also from the exclusive use of the extraordinarily sweet and mild Oku Midori variety. At first glance, the very fine sorting of the leaves stands out. Looking closer, the GO EN shows another special feature: The leaves are curly, like the ones in a tamaryokucha. To be precise, it is a intensely shaded Mushi-Guri-Cha, that is a tea steamed like sencha or gyokuro but not rolled into needle-shapes. Instead, a bamboo-fitted drum-shaped machine is responsible for the flavour and shape of this outstanding tea.
Find out more about GO EN in our GO EN shortfilm (currently available in German only).
POWDER GREEN TEA FROM THE MORIMOTOS
MORIMOTO MATCHA GYOKUJOU (Organic)
Only the most tender leaves of the Oku Midori tea bush variety are gently ground into a fine powder. Before this, the tea bushes are shaded for about two to three weeks with black nets (kabuse). Haruyo and Shigeru Morimoto chose this tea bush variety for this elegant matcha because of the Oku Midori’s depth in flavour with a pleasant and delicate umami, as well as its fine sweetness. The long shading supports all these characteristics.
Compared to the Morimoto Premium Matcha Minami Sayaka, which can be found above, the Morimoto Matcha Gyokujou is even more full-bodied and also deeper, and in this sense more classical.
Even though this tea is ground on a ceramic mill and not on granite, its texture is wonderfully fine, thanks to the top-class leaves that are only used for this matcha.
MORIMOTO PREMIUM
MATCHAMINAMI SAYAKA (Organic)
The finest leaves of the tea bush variety Minami Sayaka are gently ground into a fine powder. Before the harvest, the tea bushes are covered with black nets for two weeks (Kabuse). Haruyo und Shigeru Morimoto chose this tea bush variety for their special Matcha because of its intense green colour, floral fragrance und fine sweetness. These characteristics of the Minami Sayaka emerge even more beautifully thanks to the long shading.
An elegant and exceptional powder tea, that enchants with its tender flowery fragrance.
MORIMOTO MATCHA (Organic)
The Morimotos’ best Sencha (Miyazaki Tokujou Sencha) is gently ground into a fine powder on a ceramic mill, resulting in a vibrantly green and very flavour-balanced powder tea. Just mix it with cold water or prepare it as a milk shake. Preparing with warm water also makes an outstanding and vibrantly green tea.
MORIMOTO MATCHA
KABUSE 2 PREMIUM (Organic)
For this matcha, the Morimotos chose their tea bush varieties Oku Midori, Oku Yutaka and Minami Sayaka. Thanks to shading (Kabuse) and very careful grinding, this matcha is surprisingly fine and brightly green, even though the leaves were taken from the second harvest.
Morimoto Matcha Kabuse 2 Premium is a quality of powdered tea suitable for green tea pastries, cocktails, shakes and other food products on connoisseur level. Just like the simpler grade (see above) it is great value for money. It can also be recommended for pure consumption.
KAFUN CATECHIN TEE (Organic)
Powdered tea made from leaves of the Benifuuki tea bush variety. Benifuuki is the only plant containing a remarkable concentration of methylated EGCG. Furthermore it also contains high concentrations of other catechins, which results in a comparatively strong taste.
The results of a compound analysis can be found on the backside of the packaging. We analyse the Kafun Catechin tea every year, so you will always find the latest analysis on the packaging. The concentration of catechins is extraordinarily high and even seems to increase with the age of the tea bushes. You can follow the development of the catechin concentration over the years by storing the backside labels of this tea.
As a rule of thumb, the stronger the taste of a tea, the higher the concentration of catechins. Tea plants only produce catechins during the exposure to sun, so Benifuuki bushes are never shaded for the Kafun Catechin Tea. The Morimotos only harvest their Benifuuki bushes after the sun has been shining for three days straight. If there is one cloudy day the harvest will be postponed. This guarantees the extraordinarily high concentration of catechins.
Drinking not only the infusion but all of the powder, after it is finely dispersed in water, all ingredients of the tea leaf can be ingested.
Haruyo Morimoto makes great MATCHA shakes. In April 2012, MARIMO filmed this video in Miyazaki prefecture, Kyushu, Japan, in the Morimotos‘ organic tea garden, together with all four generations of the Morimoto family.