Tasting Profile
Appearance. The tea is described as having a refreshing color.[1]
Nose. Royal Blue Tea describes a distinctive nostalgic aroma, attributed to the growing environment of morning mist from mountain streams, clear air, and large diurnal temperature variation.[1],[2]
Palate. The flavor is described as transparent yet deep, characterized as vibrant, transparent, and with depth.[1]
Composition & Vinification
Higashi-Shirakawa Sencha — Sole Component. The sole ingredient is hand-picked sencha green tea from Higashi-Shirakawa Village, Kamo District, Gifu Prefecture. Royal Blue Tea describes it as a vintage sencha hand-picked and processed on May 19, 2019 (Reiwa 1) by the villagers of Higashi-Shirakawa working together. The leaves are grown in steep hillside gardens in a mountain valley, where morning mist rising from the valley stream, clear air, and large diurnal temperature swings allow slow, soft growth. Cultivation follows natural farming methods (自然仕立) with harvest by hand-picking.[1],[2]
Provenance & Sourcing
Production. The tea is bottled in a glass wine bottle sealed with a glass stopper. Royal Blue Tea uses a light-blocking (遮光) opaque bottle to protect the tea components that are sensitive to light. Extraction proceeds by non-heated cold extraction over three days, followed by non-heated filtration sterilization and aseptic filling without heat pasteurization.[1]
Origin: Higashi-Shirakawa
Hand-picked Sencha from Higashi-Shirakawa; source describes the 2019 harvest.
Production Philosophy
Origin of the name and symbol. According to Royal Blue Tea, tea cultivation in Higashi-Shirakawa Village dates back approximately 450 years, to when the head priest of Banryuji Temple brought tea seeds from Uji, Kyoto, and promoted tea cultivation as a means of preventing epidemics. This history informed the name of the tea. The bottle carries calligraphy by calligrapher Ginsu Kubota as its symbol, written as a prayer for the warding off of disease. The tea is also known by the abbreviated name 東白川村プレミアム (Higashi-Shirakawa Village Premium).[1],[2],[3]