Sencha Saemidori - Kyushu

Discover the unique character of Sencha Saemidori, a carefully bred cultivar from Kagoshima’s warmer Kyushu region, created as a cross between Yabukita, Japan’s most resilient and widely grown tea plant, and Asatsuyu, a cultivar prized for its intense umami but now rare due to its sensitivity to cold. First recorded in 1990, Saemidori successfully captures Asatsuyu’s sought-after savoury depth, vivid green colour, and fresh, early-harvest character, while benefiting from Yabukita’s greater adaptability, though it still has limited cold resistance and is best suited to temperate climates. Over the past 15 years it has become one of the most successful cultivars in Japan, widely grown in Kagoshima, uncommon in Shizuoka, and now a benchmark cultivar for gyokuro in Yame, with increasing use in Uji for both gyokuro and matcha, even as this expansion subtly shifts the traditional aromatic profile associated with classic Uji cultivars.

This style of Japanese green tea steeps best with a controlled quick infusion with lower temperature to prevent over steeping. Don’t skip the second infusion, it is best brewed back to back with the first!