Pre-orders begin early June.
170 years of pesticide-free cultivation
Chemical-free fertilizer × Heirloom tea
100% Niigata Murakami tea leaves. 2026 new tea, sour tea
A very long-lived tea tree.
Grown with care.
This new tea has a rich, sweet flavor.
170 years. Tea fields cultivated without pesticides or chemical fertilizers
Actually, many pests infest tea plants. Furthermore, over 70% of tea farms nationwide grow a single cultivar. In a tea field with genetically identical plants, if one disease spreads, the entire region can be wiped out, necessitating the preventive use of pesticides. (Pesticides are typically sprayed about 10 times a year.)
However, our tea is "native cultivar tea," so it is genetically distant. Also, our tea fields are smaller compared to those in other regions, and being in Niigata, a snowy region, there are fewer pests.
For these reasons, the risk of a sudden pest infestation was low, allowing this tea to be cultivated for over 170 years without pesticides.
There are no records of chemical fertilizers ever being used, only an occasional spreading of rice hulls, so it is truly a tea from the heart of nature, grown in a wild, uncultivated state.
Many tea trees are replanted after 50 years.
Ours have been untouched for 170 years. Grandpa Tea Trees.
Tea plants are usually harvested from around their fifth year, with the best green tea said to be produced between eight and ten years. After 30 to 50 years, yields decrease, so the tea plants are replaced.
However, our tea plants are the same old plants we've had for 170 years. They are like old grandpas and grandmas now, so their sharp edges have been mellowed. We often hear comments like, "It has a gentle aftertaste," or "The flavor is smooth on the palate." (Our tea plants grew from seeds and seedlings brought from Kyoto on a Kitamae ship 170 years ago.)
Long-lived native species have long roots.
The roots of common tea varieties grown throughout Japan spread horizontally. In contrast, the roots of our native tea varieties are thick and long, like burdock, extending deep into the ground.
Because they send thick taproots deep into the earth, they have extremely strong vitality and grow into long-lived tea trees. In other words, these are tea trees that can live a long life precisely because they are native varieties.
The ocean is right there, and the Miomote River flows beside it. Tea grown with water from melting snow
The water we use in Murakami, Niigata Prefecture, is melted snow from the Asahi Mountain Range, known as the "Tohoku Alps." This water becomes groundwater and flows deep beneath the Miomote River basin.
We believe that our indigenous tea plants, with their deeper roots compared to cultivated varieties, draw up this groundwater, resulting in a delicious and mellow flavor.
Covered in snow during winter, these vegetables are rich in umami and have little bitterness.
The umami component in tea leaves is theanine, and the astringent component is catechin. When exposed to sunlight, theanine, an umami component, transforms into catechin, an astringent component.
The transformation into the astringent component catechin is also related to temperature; the lower the temperature, the less astringent component there is. Regions with cool climates and morning mist are said to be producers of fine tea. For example, farmers who produce gyokuro and matcha block sunlight and lower temperatures by covering their tea plants with black screens.
Therefore, the snow and cold in Murakami, located north of Niigata, naturally suppress sunlight and preserve the umami in our tea.
Scheduled for release in June 2026
100% Niigata Murakami tea leaves. 2026 new tea, San-cha.
This time, we bring you
100% estate-grown new tea and "sancha" (sour tea).
About New Tea
First 100% home-grown tea product
Shincha, also known as Ichibancha (first flush tea), is the first tea harvested in a given year. Made from young leaves that sprout in early spring, Shincha is rich in umami components (theanine), low in bitterness and astringency (catechin), and has a mellow, sweet flavor.
Until now, we have sold our tea blended with teas from other farms. However, this time, for the first time, we are selling Shincha made exclusively from the leaves of our own traditional tea variety, grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers for 170 years. Any leftover portions will be blended with other teas and sold as "Murakami Bancha" at a low price, as before. This is the first time we are selling a product like this. This is why it will be a "pre-order" sale.
About Murakami Sancha
Developed with fermentation, research, and beauty professionals
When placed in the typical comparison chart, our tea inevitably has individual weaknesses. How strong is the flavor, what about the bitterness, how green is the tea, can it produce a rich taste? However, we believe that this farm, which has been cultivated without pesticides or chemical fertilizers for a long period, has absolute value, and we have developed a new lactic acid fermented tea with professionals from various regions.
This includes Nagamine Seicha, with 150 years of history, Ikeda Tea Garden and Anma Seicha, who have cultivated innovative and authentic teas in Shizuoka, the home of tea, and Aisin Corporation, a global manufacturer that developed the world's smallest ultra-fine water permeation system.
"Murakami Sancha" is the result of the convergence of traditional native tea, cutting-edge technology, and the desire to "preserve this tea."
Can It Also Promote Intestinal Health?
"The Ultimate Health Tea"
Through repeated prototyping and verification, we confirmed the presence of approximately two types of lactic acid bacteria in the finished Sancha. The primary one is "Lactobacillus brevis," which has long supported Japanese food culture and is expected to improve gut health and suppress the proliferation of bad bacteria.
Murakami Sancha, born from the power of approximately two types of lactic acid bacteria, is a lactic acid fermented tea that, despite its nature, is neither heavy nor overly sour. Instead, it is surprisingly aromatic, with a pleasant acidity that creates a refreshing drinking experience.
Please try this aromatic and novel-tasting lactic acid fermented tea, made possible by the indigenous tea varieties that have been protected without pesticides in the climate of Murakami.
Recommended brewing method
3g tea leaves, 100-200cc hot water, steep for 3 minutes
Approximately 3g is enough for two people, so you can enjoy this new tea about 10 times.
① Pour hot water into a teapot and warm it thoroughly.
② Put 3g of tea leaves into the teapot, pour in 100-200cc of hot water, and put on the lid.
③ Wait 3 minutes, then pour into teacups.
Scheduled to go on sale in June 2026
100% Niigata Murakami tea leaves. 2026 new tea, sour tea
Tea production began in 1868.
Hokuseien Chaho: 158 years since its founding.
Established in 1868 in Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture, the northernmost tea-producing region in Japan.
Kitaseien's previous president suddenly fell ill, and the business was further impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the tea shop's operations and tea fields facing an existential crisis, it was the father (Tatsuo Nakamura) who stepped up as the successor, responding to the wishes of those around him who wanted to save Kitaseien. However, he was completely new to retail.
Inspired by the value and appeal of tea, his daughter, Ayaka Nakamura, and her elder sister are now actively working to preserve the value of Niigata Murakami tea for the future through new products and sales methods.
The Northern Limit of Tea Cultivation
We want to revitalize the tea culture of Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture,
which has dwindled to one-thirtieth of its former size.
Tea production in Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture, has decreased to less than 1/30th of its peak. Dozens of tea shops have dwindled to just six.
Behind this decline are several interconnected factors:
・Aging producers and a lack of successors
・Soaring fuel and material costs
・The burden of cultivation unique to a snow-bound northern limit
・A Murakami tea brand that has not increased in value
Murakami tea is a rare tea with low astringency and a mellow, gentle flavor, precisely because of its environment with short daylight hours and snow cover.
However, these characteristics are not suited for mass production and low-price competition.
We are facing a crisis where only the name "Murakami tea" remains, while tea fields and producers are disappearing. A desire to overcome this crisis was the impetus for this tea project.
Scheduled to go on sale in June 2026
100% Niigata Murakami tea leaves. 2026 new tea, San-cha.
