Cultivar and technical information
This sublime sencha from Mariko (in Suruga Borough, Shizuoka City), with beautiful fine green needles that only handpicking and traditional steaming can produce, is made mainly from the Kondo-wase cultivar, called "Kondo," after its creator, Kondô Hiromasa, and "wase" because it is an early cultivar.
However, earliness is not what makes this tea so exceptional. The reason the young producer, Matsukawa Yôhei, has chosen to grow this rare cultivar with great care is because of its ancestors in Assam (Kondô-wase is a crossbreed of Yabukita and Shizu-inzatsu 131), which are the origins of its exquisite fragrance.

The nose
Indeed, the dry leaves already diffuse a fresh, floral and green scent. Next, the liquor unfolds a delicate fragrance of flowers. Yet it is in the mouth that the aromas express themselves more fully.

The mouth
With at first astringency, the palate, nose and throat are filled with a complex floral bouquet enhanced with delicate umami.
The liquor is light and fresh, but after a few minutes a strong sweet aftertaste appears in the mouth.

Summary
A very fine, rich, exceptional sencha with a unique character.

Technical description
Type of tea: Futsumushi (normal-steamed) sencha
Origin: Mariko, Suruga Borough, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Cultivar: Kondô wase
Harvest: 　April 9th, 2026, handpicked