Single Cultivar Tsuyu Hikari LIMITED QUANTITY

Tsuyu Hikari is a relatively new Shizuoka cultivar bred by crossing Asatsuyu, known for its strong umami, with Shizu 7132, famed for its refreshing sakura-like aroma. Tsuyu Hikari beautifully unites the strengths of both parents, offering a gentle sweetness, delicate floral aroma, and a vivid spring green liquor.  As an early-emerging variety harvested about two days before Yabukita, it reflects the tender character of early spring growth with a naturally clean and balanced profile.

Our Tsuyu Hikari comes from Chakkiri Kōbō in Kiriyama, Shimada City, a region long recognized as one of Shizuoka’s premier tea-producing areas. The fields sit at 150-250 meters (approximately 500-800 ft) on the Makinohara Plateau, where mineral-rich, well-draining red soil and a mild climate create ideal conditions for sencha cultivation. Once considered unproductive land, the plateau was transformed after the Meiji Restoration when samurai settlers began cultivating tea, eventually forming Japan’s largest tea-producing region. Today, Chakkiri Kōbō continues this tradition with meticulous soil building and careful field management, practices that bring out Tsuyu Hikari’s natural clarity and sweetness.

Our Tsuyu Hikari sencha features fine, slender needles in a rich green tinged with the slightest bit of yellow. The infusion brews to a clear spring-green liquor with low sediment. The aroma is of  fresh tatami, soft sweetness, and reminiscent of sakura mochi, a nod to its Shizu 7132 heritage. The flavor combines grassy brightness and hints of watermelon rind with subtle notes of Swiss chard and squash. Strong umami is balanced by a light brininess, while the soft, rounded body carries a moderate bitterness that lingers into a savory finish.