Some tea in Shizuoka, especially Higashiyama area, is cultivated by the
traditional “chagusa-ba” method, which is often translated as traditional
tea-grass integrated system.
The dried-grasses mainly bamboo and pampas called “chagusa” are cut down, dried, shredded and spread around the roots of tea trees as a mulch. Eventually
it will be a good compost. It seems that “chagusa” prevents weeds from growing
along the furrows, enriches the soil, helps retain moisture and fertilizer for
a long period, and helps new leaves grow better. Naturally, the tea taste gets
better and the flavor improves.
This method is not only for making good tea. It
is good for biodiversity. Since the grasses are cut down regularly, other fauna
and flora including rare and endangered species survive in that area. (This method is designated as GIAHS 'Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System').
* You will learn about Chagusa-ba method "The secret to High Quality Tea by UNU Channel"
One of the farmers who grow tea with this method is Kaneroku-Matsumotoen tea farm. Their family started tea business about 200 years ago and have been keeping the
method since then. While keeping its tradition method and tea, they produce ’innovative’
tea like the first Japanese smoked-tea. Their signature is the Whisky-barreled
smoked tea leave….and its bottled tea too! I think
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| from Kaneroku-Matsumotoen http://kaneroku-matsumotoen.com/ |
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| Left: Not Whisky, it's tea made from his smoked tea in Whisky barrel |
