[ About Yamecha ] – the Most Expensive Green Tea, Gyokuro, Matcha in Japan – Yamecha – Most Expensive GYokuro, Green Tea, Matcha in Japan

The Most Expensive and High-Quality Japanese Green Tea called "Gyokuro" is produced in Yame.

Yame Dentou Hon Gyokuro

¥2,490 -

¥900,000

Yame Dentou Hon Gyokuro is a type of high-quality green tea from Yame, a region in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is grown using the “shaded cultivation” method, which involves shading the tea plants for several weeks before harvest. This method results in a tea that is high in chlorophyll and amino acids, which gives it a distinctive flavor and aroma. Dentou Hon Gyokuro is considered one of the highest quality Gyokuro teas available.

Yame Dentou Hon Gyokuro is a type of Japanese green tea. It is grown in the Yame region of Fukuoka prefecture and is known for its high quality and unique taste. Gyokuro is a type of shade-grown tea and is considered to be one of the finest and most expensive types of Japanese green tea. It is characterized by its delicate flavor and aroma, as well as its bright green color. The “Dentou Hon Gyokuro” designation indicates that it is made using traditional methods passed down through generations.

What is Yamecha? - About Yamecha and Hoshinocha

What is "Yamecha" ?

Yame is located in Fukuoka prefecture in Kyushu, southern Japan. Surrounded by mountains and blessed with abundant nature, clean water and fertile land have been suitable for the cultivation of crops since ancient times. It is also a production area where many flowers are grown and traditional crafts are made.

“Yame” is one of Japan’s leading high-quality tea production areas. Tea produced in the Yame region is called “Yamecha (Yame tea )” is traded at the highest price in Japan. Especially “Gyokuro” has the title of No.1 in Japan. Among them, the Gyokuro called “Yame Dento Hon Gyokuro” is produced in extremely small quantities and is a luxurious and exquisite product.

Yamecha - The Finest Japanese Green Tea

Yamecha is a type of tea produced in Fukuoka Prefecture in Japan. It is cultivated in Yame-shi and its surrounding areas: Chikugo-shi, Hirokawa-cho, Ukiha-shi, and Asakura-shi. Yamecha makes up about 3% of Japan's Green Tea production and about 45% of Japan's Gyokuro production on an annual basis. It is highly prized and one of the first regions in Japan to grow tea. The first tea plant in Yame was imported from China by a Zen priest named Eirin Suzui.

What Yamecha makes Fine Tea

The southern part of the Chikushi Plains is located in Yame-shi, where the Chikugo and Yabegawa rivers deposit rich sediment full of composted leaves. The Chikushi Plains is a region that has been famous for its tea cultivation since ancient times. It is the largest plain in Kyūshū and is located in the southern part of Fukuoka, extending to the Chikugo and Yabegawa river basins. Yamecha is cultivated on roughly 1560 hectares of land, 90% of which is located in Yame-shi. The climate is highly suitable for growing tea with high temperatures during the day that fall dramatically at night; a peculiar characteristic of inland regions. It receives 1600-2400mm of rain a year, and has weather that is similar to that of Mt. Lingyan in Suzhou, China. Fog and mist are a common occurrence in the mornings and around the rivers of this region. Many Yamecha fields are situated on gently-sloping mountain faces, which are often shrouded in fog. This environment helps shield the tea leaves from harsh sunlight and produce a richer flavour. As a result, Yamecha is high in flavour-producing compounds such as theanine, glutamic acid, and arginine. Many tests on tea cultivated in this area have shown to produce a strong, sweet body.

Yame Gyokuro - Japanes No.1 Gyokuro

Cultivars of Yamecha include yabukita, kanayamidori, okumidori, saemidori, yamakai, samidori, okuyutaka, gokou, and asatsuyu. 77% of introduced cultivars are yabukita, 4% are kanayamidori, 4% are okumidori, 3% are saemidori, and 2% are yamakai. The natural gyokuro produced here has been prized since ancient times. Yamecha Gyokuro makes up about 45% of all gyokuro production in Japan. As a result, its growers have control over the average price of gyokuro. Yamecha Gyokuro is well known in Japan for its high quality.

History of Yamecha

1406: Tea was brought to modern day Yame-shi by Eirin Suzui, a Zen priest. Eirin founded Reiganji Temple and planted the first tea seeds in this region.
1751-1788: Wild tea on mountains in Yame became a point of interest for locals who began harvesting it for profit.
1863: Sales and demand for Yamecha increased as foreign traders in Nagasaki Prefecture began buying it.
1887: Sales of Yamecha dropped overseas due to stricter quality control laws of imported goods in the United States.Types of Yamecha could no longer be imported to the United States.
1914-1937: Yamecha tea farms became part of a reform which encouraged higher quality products.
2001-2012: Yamecha Gyokuro won the national tea fair held by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for being the best Gyokuro produced that year. It continued to win this award for 12 consecutive years, until a Gyokuro from Uji surpassed it. Yamecha Gyokuro still wins this award frequently.

What is Hoshinocha?

There is a village called “Hoshi no Mura” deep in the mountains of Yame. Surrounded by mountains, it is a very beautiful rural area with richer nature than Yame city.
The water, land, and climate of Hoshi no Mura are very suitable for the production of tea, and it is known as a high-class tea among Yame tea.

“Gyokuro” made in “Hoshi no Mura” is said to be the best in Japan, and “Yame Dento Hon Gyokuro’‘ made in “Yame” using “traditional methods” is highly rare and valuable. GI (geographical indications)” certified and protected by the Japanese Government.

It can be said that the single origin of “Yame Traditional Hon Gyokuro” is a very rare tea leaf that is difficult to obtain.

What is Yame Dentou Hon GYokuro?

Why Yamecha is so popular

Yamecha has a long history, and 2023 will mark the 600th anniversary of the birth of Yamecha.

Yamecha is a “meicha” known as a “luxury tea” in Japan.

The taste is “mellow and sweet”, and depending on how you put it in, you can enjoy the rich “umami” that is typical of Yamecha.

Japanese tea and green tea can be brewed not only once, but twice or even three times. This is called the first, second, and third infusion, and by gradually raising the temperature, you can enjoy a variety of flavors.

For details, please refer to “How to Brew Delicious Tea“.

About “Gyokuro” of “Yame”

One of the reasons why “Yamecha” is famous as “Meicha ( Refined Tea )” is that “Yame” is “Japan’s No. 1 Gyokuro production area.”

“Gyokuro” is the “Highest Grade Sencha ( Green Tea )” among “Japanese teas”, and “Yame Gyokuro” have won awards at numerous competitions over the years.

“Yame Traditional Hon Gyokuro”, which is applied only to tea leaves produced by the traditional method among gyokuro, requires not only time and effort, but also the advanced technique of the producer. It is the most rare and valuable tea leaves.

[Mukoh / Mukou Matcha 向抹茶（むこうまっちゃ）] Only Authentic & Genuine Products

In recent years, amidst the health boom around the world, the popularity of Japanese Tea, Green Tea, and Matcha is increasing. As a result, the world’s attention is also focused on The Finest Japanese Tea called “Yamecha“. However, in fact, “Yamecha” is produced only 2.4% of whole “Japanese Tea” in Japan, and as for “Gyokuro“, we only have 2 grams per Japanese person.

For this reason, even if it is written as “Yamecha“, it may actually contain only a small amount of “Yamecha“, or it may be of poor quality or even fake.

Trustworthy

More than 20 years since 1998, Mukoh / MukouMatcha 向抹茶（むこうまっちゃ）has continued to deliver Genuine & Authentic Japanese products to customers all over the country and overseas, valuing “Trustworthy” above all else.

The Goal

The goal of Mukoh / MukouMatcha 向抹茶（むこうまっちゃ） is to make everyone, from Tea Farmers to Consumers Smile with Tea. If Yame tea fans around the world are happy, Yame tea farmers will also be happy.

Be Honest

Mukoh Matcha / 向抹茶（むこうまっちゃ） “We will not sell what we can not eat.” “We will not sell what we think is not delicious.”

The 100% Yamecha selling at Mukoh Matcha / 向抹茶（むこうまっちゃ） , we visit the “Tea Fields”, talking directly with the “Tea Farmers” by ourselves.

Genuine & Authentic

“Yamecha” and “Hoshinocha”, Mukoh Matcha / 向抹茶（むこうまっちゃ）introducing are produced in the countryside of Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu (southern part of Japan), the tea fields surrounded by nature with clean air, greenery and water.

Mukoh Matcha

High Quality Green Tea, Matcha, Gyokuro & Fucoidan