Why Volcanic Soil Makes Kagoshima Tea A Supreme Quality Tea

Kagoshima Tea and How Volcanic Soil is Good For Tea

While considering “Japanese tea,” what are the regions that come to your mind? Most of us think of Uji and Shizouka; hence today, we will focus on the largest production of the southernmost prefecture of Japanese green tea; Kagoshima.

Japan has been a stellar cultivator in tea manufacture, cultivation, and hybridization since the start of the 20^th century. The country is famous as the 8^th biggest producer of tea globally, delivering 2% of the tea’s international demand. As the earliest Japanese tea was traded to the U.S in 1859, Japan was their biggest client.

Kagoshima Green Tea

Kagoshima comes 2^nd after Shizouka for high-end manufacturing tea. For years, Kagoshima had an image of cultivating economically approachable but lesser than premium quality tea. Now, Kagoshima is producing award-winning tea and has the highest tea cultivation all over Japan because of its flat agricultural areas and fertile soil that works wonders in the mechanical harvest.

Kagoshima tea is cultivated in the southern berth of Japan, on Kyushu (the main island of Japan), situated 1000 km from Tokyo. The tea is rated on the second rank for its demand and being produced in Japan’s most prominent growing prefecture. Besides its popularity and demand, the tea is loved for its performance ratio and economical price.

Variety and Taste

The other varieties of Kagoshima tea are; Banchas that outperforms and comes from South-Shiran, Sencha comes from mountainous areas, Organic Tencha (the other name used is Macha tea) is cultivated in organic farming and with the manufacture of leading organic Gyokuro. The tea has intense character and pungent taste and features a splendid fragrance full of volcanic stuff.

Attractive Vibrant Dark Green Color With Supreme Sunlight Intensity

Kagoshima tea has vibrant dark green typical infusion color. It grows in a subtropical, specifically mild environment with maximum sunlight intensity. It has tremendous growth in volcanic regions with fertile soils and minerals. The tea has an active volcanic place, and farmers usually have to remove the volcanic ash from the tea leaves. The tea is highly produced in Japan in the flat agricultural regions. The tea is admired for being a particular agricultural product and top-notch cuisine.

Kagoshima is cultivated in the Southernmost prefecture of Japan because of the flat, fertile, and coastal areas of the SOIL.

History Behind The Popularity Of Kagoshima Tea

In 1975, when the Kagoshima regions were producing a decent amount of green tea, the quality and taste were inferior compared to the tea being produced in other areas of Japan because there were very few production facilities. Throughout these years, Kagoshima tea in its raw form was transported to Shizouka for further processing and blending with better quality tea from that prefecture. In the late 1980’s the Tea Growers Association and Tea Experiment Station were strengthened by the Kagoshima Prefectural Government for the tea name recognition and better quality. This effort resulted in magnificent success.

Now mechanical harvesting machines help in making aligned rows of Kagoshima tea. The unique high-volume harvesters are incredibly efficient and affect a very accurate plucking of every single tea leaf. Now, Kagoshima represents 76% of total tea production on a national level. Tea leaves from other cultivators like Kanaya Midori, Okumusashi, Sakura Jima, Asanoka, and Zairai blend with Kagoshima tea to balance the desired taste and aroma.

Perks of drinking Kagoshima Tea

Each delicious cup of Kagoshima tea delivers an abundance of health benefits. People who want to taste Japanese green tea without brewing loose leaf green tea leaves. The earliest infusion gives mellow, smooth, sweet-taste liquid that never tastes bitter. The second infusion is lighter and less intense but still extremely satisfying. It fights off inflammation and boosts immunity. There are massive shreds of evidence about drinking Kagoshima tea regularly and having a lasting impact on your health and wellness.

How Is Volcanic Soil Good For Tea?

Volcanic soil breaks down the weather and volcanic materials into the most fertile soil for cultivation and improved production of fostered civilizations, supreme quality tea, and abundant food.

Although Kagoshima is purely rural, it’s popular for producing high-quality tea. Other products manufactured in Kagoshima are sugar cane, sweet potatoes, rice, and Chrysanthemums. In 2006, around 26.5 billion yen was earned only by producing tea, which totaled about 6.5% of Kagoshima’s agricultural production (confirmed by the Kagoshima tea association.)

The southern regions of Japan have a prospicient history of volcanic activity. Still, eleven active areas are covered with layers of volcanic ash which is called Shirasu. Shirasu is a specialty of Kagoshima tea for it has White Japanese volcanic ashes. With the abundant rainfall and subtropical environment.

Kagoshima has active volcanic soil. You can quickly notice the volcanic ash falling to the soil from Sakurajima – a stratovolcano. Tea farmers in Kagoshima clean the volcanic ash off the tea leaves. The good news is, volcanic ash provides minerals to the soil resulting in Kagoshima tea with subtle fruitiness and fresh aroma.

Yabukita is the most common cultivator all over Japan, but Kagoshima is unique as it has a minor proportion (almost 37%) of Yabukita variety in it.

The warm and mild climate of Kagoshima has made it the second biggest prefecture for producing green tea. The weather enables the region to crop Japan’s most former Sencha, typically harvested at the start of April. The blend of the high-volume crop, astounding growing conditions, and fine processing gives Kagoshima green tea an evolving international reputation.

Wrap Up

The discussion can be closed that the Kagoshima tea industry is in an unceasing state of effectively following up on whole quality management and that Japanese green tea lovers are enjoying the perks throughout the world. In advanced facilities staffed with highly skilled tea artisans, Kagoshima regions manufacture around 26% of the total national output of refined Kagoshima green tea.

Today, most Japanese tea farmers are over 60. And while the number of Japanese tea farmers has reduced, massive numbers of human labor-intensive tea farms are unused and isolated. Most regions of Japan crop their tea 2-3 times every year, while in Kagoshima, it is harvested 4 times and, in some years, if the weather conditions are favorable, tea is harvested 5 times. Keeping these factors and benefits in mind, the Kagoshima regions are believed to remain the most preferred leading harvest prefecture in Japan.

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