Special features in location, cultivation & processing
The Yamato Highlands in Nara Prefecture form a remote landscape of small villages scattered across the Nara basin. Surrounded by gentle mountains, the region provides ideal conditions for cultivating healthy tea plants. This pristine environment aligns perfectly with Mr Ken’ichi Ikawa’s minimalist and exceptionally pure approach to tea cultivation, practiced in complete harmony with nature.
Across 11 hectares, 30 tea fields are spread throughout the highlands, most of which are now under Mr Ikawa’s care. Many of these plots had lain fallow for decades after their original farmers retired, allowing the land to fully regenerate. Today, Mr Ikawa cultivates tea in a way that preserves the plants’ natural vitality, enabling them to flourish with minimal human intervention.
"Old Leaf" (Koba 古葉) Sannenbancha
For Koba Sannenbancha, thick, coarse stems and leaves (matured on the bush for over three years) are carefully selected and harvested. Late autumn and winter harvesting ensures a particularly high content of valuable polysaccharides. This rare green tea speciality is produced only in very limited quantities in Japan and is highly sought-after.
