Cultivar and technical information
Oku-musashi is a cultivar that was developed in the Saitama Prefecture research centre (north of Tokyo). It comes from a cross between Sayama-midori and Yamato-midori, and was registered in 1962.
It is now extremely hard to find even in Saitama. It is so rare in fact that finding one grown at 500 m (1640 ft) in Ureshino—on Kyûshû Island—is, to say the least, surprising.
A longtime region of kamairicha, Ureshino in Saga now produces primarily steamed tamaryokucha. While Oku-musashi are generally shaded and used for steamed fukamushi, this particular Oku-musashi is unshaded and standard-steamed. It is somewhat closer to a classic tamaryokucha.

The nose
In the nose, we initially find the intense, warm, sweet aromas unique to these tamaryokucha. Adding to these aromas come notes of nuts and sweet berries.

The mouth
Then the tea’s sweet, peat, slightly woody sensation reappears in the infusion. There is no astringency. It is less the umami and more the sweetness that dominates. Afterwards, more vegetal, dried herb aromas appear. These aromas are followed by fruity notes that strongly evoke red berries in the length. It is in this last aspect of the tea that Oku musashi’s characteristics are most prominent. Subsequent infusions deliver a tea that is more fluid and fresher. Additionally, the sweet, empyreumatic notes of the first infusion become more subtle.

Summary
Here is a robust, almost rustic, tamaryokucha that nonetheless does not lack subtlety, and has a very pleasant fruity aftertaste.

Technical description
Type of tea : Mushi-sei tamaryoku-cha (“guri-cha” – curly tea)
Origin : Bôzubaru, Ureshino Town, Ureshino City, Saga Prefecture
Cultivar : Oku-musashi
Harvest : May 16th, 2026