Cultivation and Processing

The region and type of cultivation as well as processing are key influences for the quality and the ingredients of the final tea-product.

KEIKO tea has proven especially rich in valuable antioxidative ingredients in analyses. You can tell by the bright green color in the cup, the intense fragrance and the deep multi-layered aroma of the infused tea leaves.

Tea cultivation in Kagoshima

Kagoshima is a relatively young tea-growing region, but it has developed into the most productive tea-growing area in Japan due to its subtropical climate, high altitudes, and nutrient-rich soils.

The nearby Sakurajima, one of Japan's most active volcanoes, regularly blankets the region with ash clouds, enriching the soil with nutrients and contributing to its fertility.

Tea cultivation

In harmony with nature

Let’s take a trip to Japan, into the tea region of Kagoshima all the way down south. Here, under ideal conditions, the tea plants grow on the Shimodozono Biofarm.

The subtropical climate and the altitude make for an environment that allows the tea plants to thrive, while the clouds of ash that regularly erupt from the close Sakurajima-volcano to cover the area leave the soil especially fertile and rich in nutrients. Reflecting the natural conditions of tea plants growing in the shade of trees the plants of the Biofarm are shaded with nets and flourish in the half shade. From here the Japanese green tea will make its way to Europe – in organic quality of course.

Learn more!

Grünteeblätter in verschiedenen Verarbeitungsstadien

Grean tea

Processing Sencha

As is customary in Japan, KEIKO teas are steamed (these steamed Japanese Teas are known as Sencha).

The majority of them are actually Fukamushi-cha, a variation of Sencha which is steamed even more intensivel. In the course of the steaming process the pores of the leaves open, so that the extract is increased when the tea is infused. You can usually recognize a Fukamushi-cha by its color. It will be a strong green color and cloudy instead of the clear light green or even yellowish cup of regular Sencha.

What does the steaming achieve?

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Matcha

Freshly milled Matcha from Germany

Before purchasing Matcha you should know that “Matcha” is not a protected term and any powdered tea can be sold as Matcha.

KEIKO Matcha is “real” Japanese Matcha after the traditional definition: a tea powder made from the leaf tissue (Tencha) only of the fully shaded tea plant, ground deliberately on special granite milling stones.

Other tea powders that do not fulfill (all of) these conditions we label accordingly, such as Kabuse powder and Benifuuki powder..

Learn more!

Tea cultivation

In harmony with nature

Let’s take a trip to Japan, into the tea region of Kagoshima all the way down south. Here, under ideal conditions, the tea plants grow on the Shimodozono Biofarm.

The subtropical climate and the altitude make for an environment that allows the tea plants to thrive, while the clouds of ash that regularly erupt from the close Sakurajima-volcano to cover the area leave the soil especially fertile and rich in nutrients. Reflecting the natural conditions of tea plants growing in the shade of trees the plants of the Biofarm are shaded with nets and flourish in the half shade. From here the Japanese green tea will make its way to Europe – in organic quality of course.

Learn more!

Green tea

Processing Sencha

As is customary in Japan, KEIKO teas are steamed (these steamed Japanese Teas are known as Sencha).

The majority of them are actually Fukamushi-cha, a variation of Sencha which is steamed even more intensivel. In the course of the steaming process the pores of the leaves open, so that the extract is increased when the tea is infused. You can usually recognize a Fukamushi-cha by its color. It will be a strong green color and cloudy instead of the clear light green or even yellowish cup of regular Sencha.

What does the steaming achieve?

Learn more!

Matcha

Freshly milled Matcha from Germany

Before purchasing Matcha you should know that “Matcha” is not a protected term and any powdered tea can be sold as Matcha.

KEIKO Matcha is “real” Japanese Matcha after the traditional definition: a tea powder made from the leaf tissue (Tencha) only of the fully shaded tea plant, ground deliberately on special granite milling stones.

Other tea powders that do not fulfill (all of) these conditions we label accordingly, such as Kabuse powder and Benifuuki powder..

Learn more!

Hastenpflug & Matsuzaki begutachten Teefeld

The legacy of a pioneer

After meeting Markus Hastenpflug at a fair in Germany Hiroshi Shimodozono (deceased 2009) initiated the conversion to organic cultivation according to EC standards with his brother Yutaka Shimodozono in 1992 creating the first organic certified tea farm. the KEIKO Biofarm, in Japan and the first to export organic certified tea in Japan.

It was also Hiroshi Shimodozono (see picture) who called a whole new project to life on the KEIKO Biofarm: Tea cultivation following the principles of Akinori Kimura. This method of cultivation was initially implemented on apples by Kimura and renounces the use of not only pesticides and herbicides but also any fertilizers, aiming to strengthen and stimulate the plants natural root system. A process that can take years to develop.

The experiment is being continued to this day and in 2016 the plants could be harvested for the first time. The tea is medium steamed (Chuumushi) - as opposed to most KEIKO Teas undergoing intensive fukamushi steaming - which leads to a lighter cup colour. The taste however is a harmonious combination of elegant aroma and a velvety sweet texture.

Learn more!