Kuma MASAHIRO’s Competition yabukita sencha

Notes for Kuma san:
Kuma Masahiro is a a 3rd generation tea farmer in Jouyoumachi, Yame, Fukuoka. Most notably, he won 1st Prize (Grade 1 Rank 1) at the 2017 National Annual Tea Fair in the gyokuro category with his Saemidori Yame Dentou Hon Gyokuro, and he has won numerous other awards. His father, the second generation, was instrumental in getting Yame Dentou Hon Gyokuro registered with a Geographical Indication (GI Mark) back in 2016. His cousin Nakatani san is a senchado practicioner and an important pillar of the family’s tea business. We are honoured to have spent so much time with them, including two weeks in Spring 2026 to help during the shincha season.

Notes for this particular tea:
We were lucky enough to be present at the tea farm on the day this tea was harvest. The Kuma family suffered from landslides in 2025 due to excess rainfall and bad weather, and part of the field that were used to grow their competition grade Yabukita sencha were destroyed. This tea is grown in the remaining fields. It showcases an elegant version of the Yabukita cultivar that you may not have tasted before. There is balance in later infusions, but the first infusion especially can exhibit interesting fruity flavours, or refreshing vegetal flavours depending on the brewing method. Please experiment!

The above images and below videos were taken by us during the spring 2025 harvest at Kuma san’s tea farm.

Sencha is a delicate tea and is sensitive to hot water temperatures. Because of this, please remember to cool the water down at least for the first infusion if you wish to enjoy the umami flavour. In order to enjoy the variety of tasting notes present (umami, amami-sweetness, shibumi-astringency and nigami-bitterness), we recommend controlling the water temperature according to the brewing guide below. Lower temperatures will bring out the umami and amami and with higher temperatures the shibumi and nigami will become more pronounced. In addition to the tasting profile changing in each infusion, you will also witness the bright neon green change to a darker, more intense shade.

Please experiment with brewing to find your personal preference. A good starting point is listed below.

Hot brewing guide for more fruitiness:
Sencha 4 grams (~1 teaspoon)
Water 70ml
First infusion 65°C for 60sec
Second infusion 75°C for 30sec
Third infusion 85°C for 10sec

Hot brewing guide for more vegetal notes:
Sencha 4 grams (~1 teaspoon)
Water 70ml
First infusion 70°C for 90sec
Second infusion 75°C for 45sec
Third infusion 80°C for 10sec

Cold brewing guide:
Sencha 12 grams
Water 800ml for 6-12 hours
Spring or filtered water is recommended (specifically we look for a TDS of 30-80 - if you’re in the north of england tap water should be fine, and if you’re in the south you are probably familiar with water filters already). Simply pour the tea leaves on water and keep in the fridge overnight, or for 6-12 hours. Avoid vigorous handling/shaking. We use an ice and water mixture so that the brewing temperature is around 6 degrees celcius from start to finish, but forgoing the ice is absolutely okay. The duration of the brew can be experimented with to find your personal preference and when you are happy with the flavour, strain and dispose of the leaves. Consume within 24 hours.

Steamed Tea Background Information:
Steamed teas like sencha are one of the most traditional types of Japanese green tea. There are three main types of sencha; asamushi (light steamed, ~15seconds), chuumushi (medium steamed, ~15-45seconds), fukamushi (deep steamed, ~45+seconds). Lighter steamed teas tend to produce a golden yellow colour. Deep steamed teas however can produce vivid green colours usually with a thicker texture, and due to the longer steaming time the leaves are mostly broken and fragmented with many small particles, meaning we consume more nutrients (and caffeine!). Asamushi sencha leaves are mostly intact, rolled into needle shapes which unfold more attractively as infusions progress. Shincha (meaning new tea) is tea that has been picked during the first harvest of the year – in spring. Later harvests have drastically lower amounts of amino acids (which give us umami and sweetness) and higher catechin levels (astringency and some bitterness). After harvest the tea is steamed straight away to halt oxidisation, and will then go on to be dried and rolled through various processes, finally being fired (hiire) to further dry the leaves to under 5% moisture, and impart the final taste. Some Japanese green teas are made from blends of different cultivars or regions, and some are single cultivar (similar to coffee/whisky). Blends are created by tea masters who taste many teas and then choose a selection to combine for a desired final taste that is easier to replicate year after year by adjusting the cultivar ratios. Single cultivar teas show the drinker how that year’s particular harvest was for that cultivar, as easy year can be quite different. This allows the drinker to build up a mental profile of that cultivar’s characteristics with time, bearing in mind there will also be large influences from the region/terroir and the specific farmer and producer’s growing and finishing methods.

Storage:
Store in a cold environment (6-10°C) and avoid exposure to light, air, heat, moisture and strong smells - these will degrade your tea. Best consumed within 1-2 months from when it is first opened.