Production Philosophy
Competition-grade raw material. The tea used for the bottling is drawn from the batch that won the top award in the hand-picked gyokuro category at the 74th National Tea Competition in 2020. According to Royal Blue Tea, the raw material is the tea that took the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award (1st place, 1st seat) in the 'Gyokuro (hand-picked) category (4kg)'. The distinguishing logic of the product is therefore to bottle a specific competition-winning gyokuro rather than a blended lot.[1]
Composition & Vinification
Saemidori Gyokuro — Sole Component. The tea is made from the Saemidori (さえみどり) cultivar. It is sourced from the tea garden of Masafumi Jo (城 昌史) in Kurogi-machi, Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and produced together with Shinozori Seicha (新枝折製茶). The leaf is grown under the natural training method (自然仕立て) and harvested by hand-picking (手摘み).[1]
Provenance & Sourcing
Production. The tea was produced by Masafumi Jo of Shinozori Seicha in Kurogi-machi, Yame City. Royal Blue Tea credits Jo with leading Yame to 20 consecutive years as Japan's top gyokuro production region at the National Tea Competition. Jo first entered his gyokuro at the National Tea Competition held in Yame City in 2005, placing 3rd, and won the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award in 2020 on his 14th attempt.[1]