Cultivar and technical information
Registered in 1996, the Shôju cultivar was selected in Tanegashima by the producer Matsushita Ei.ichi from a lusus (natural mutation) of the Kuritawase variety. Kuritawase is itself very present on the Tanegashima Island. This is a very early cultivar, thus taking further advantage of the southern character of the region its birth.
Tanegashima Island is located to the south of Kagoshima, and is one of the regions with the earliest harvests each year. The history of this tea on Tanegashima goes back to 1909 with the arrival of producers from Shizuoka. One of its characteristics is to produce lots of standard-steamed teas, in contrast to Kagoshima’s fukamushi.

The nose
This fine shaded sencha has a sweet roasted fragrance, fruity nuances and a mineral sensation.

The mouth
In the mouth, the Shôju is very round, velvety, but also rather robust. The umami is pronounced without being overwhelming. Reminiscent of the tea’s Shôju and Kurita-wase lineages, it has milky, vanilla aromas with peach, apricot nuances. It has a powerful, persistent aftertaste that is initially sweet and becomes more vegetal.

Summary
Despite this sencha’s roundness and initial sweetness, this tea from Tanegashima delivers a lot of robustness that is particularly notable in subsequent infusions.

Technical description
Type of tea: Futsumushi sencha (regular-steamed sencha)
Origin: Nishinoomote City, Kagoshima Prefecture
Cultivar: Shôju
Shading: 10 days (direct covering)
Harvest: March 27th, 2026