Datecha - Fukamushi Sencha - First Flush

The Story Datecha is a rare tea from the northern reaches of Miyagi, a zone with an interesting tea lineage that isn't well known for tea growing in Japan. This micro-farm is run by Hiroshi Sasaki, an extraordinarily dedicated solo farmer. Sasaki-san only has a single picking each year because of the short northern growing season. We originaly encountered this tea through Tooru Yabe, a master tea blender who works with Sasaki-san to promote his tea. Datecha is named after Miyagi's famous samurai, Date Masamune, credited with establishing the region and Miyagi's capital Sendai. He was also very taken by the ceremony of tea, bringing it to the Tokoku region and encouraging its growth. More than 400 years have passed since Date Masamune encouraged tea cultivation in the region, and the farms have dwindled away in modern times, making this particular tea very rare. A bit like a proud samurai himself, Sasaki-san carefully monitors his farm year-round to make sure his leaves are pristine wh