Single Cultivar Sencha Kirari 31 0.5 LB LIMITED QUANTITY

Kirari 31 is a cultivar with an expressive savory character and a name full of playful meaning. “Kirari” means sparkle of light, while “31” (Japanese: san ju ichi) is a wordplay on san (sun) and ichi from ippai (plenty), suggesting “plenty of sunshine.” Deep-steamed to bring out its rich flavor and body, it offers a striking combination of marine, leafy-green, and gently sweet notes, balanced by a satisfying astringency.

This Kirari 31 sencha comes from Kinkō, Kagoshima Prefecture. The tea fields sit on the well-drained, highly permeable Shirasu Plateau, where naturally acidic soils create ideal conditions for tea cultivation. The farmer places particular importance on soil building, using their own blend of fermented bokashi fertilizer made with ingredients such as fish meal and rapeseed meal to create a healthy environment for the tea plants.

Our Kirari 31 features fine tea leaves and brews to a mossy-green liquor. The aroma brings notes of steamed asparagus, parsley, and oyster. The medium-bodied flavor has a pronounced astringency with marine notes of oyster, along with shungiku (chrysanthemum greens), kale, roasted almond, and kabocha rind. A gentle katsuo-like sweetness rounds out the savory profile, leaving a clean, lingering finish.

Kirari 31 and Haruto 34 are sibling cultivars, both descended from Saki Midori and Sae Midori. Together, they offer a fascinating look at the different character two closely related cultivars can express.