{"product_id":"kuma-tea-gardens-saemidori-gyokuro-tenkaichi-71st-all-japan-tea-competition-grand-prize-winning-garden","title":"#0433.F2 Kuma Tea Garden: Tenkaichi 天下一 Yamecha Heritage Gyokuro Saemidori — 71st All Japan Tea Competition Grand Prize Winning Garden","description":"\u003cp style=\"float: left; width: 60%; margin-right: 5%; min-width: 300px;\"\u003eThis competition grade saemidori cultivar \u003ca rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"\/en-au\/blogs\/japanese-tea-guide\/does-the-best-gyokuro-come-from-yame\" target=\"_blank\"\u003egyokuro from Yame, Fukuoka\u003c\/a\u003e was cultivated using traditional canopy shading and other techniques then handpicked in a micro-batch by tea farmer Masahiro Kuma (Yame Tea Kumaen). A small batch is submitted to the National Tea Competition each year. This gyokuro holds gentle and soft nuances of round fruits such as white peach and melon. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"padding: 2.5%; background-color: #f3f1e1; border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid #d3cfae; width: 35%; float: left;\"\u003e\n\u003ca rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/yumenet.live\/collections\/engawa\/products\/0433-f2-kuma-tea-garden-fk030-tenkaichi-yamecha-gyokuro-saemidori-heritage-grade-71st-all-japan-tea-competition-grand-prize-winning-garden-30g-gift-can\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0926\/4578\/files\/Engawa_Gift_Can_240x240.jpg?v=1728362064\" alt=\"Engawa Gift Can\" style=\"width: 100%;\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlso available in an \u003ca rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/yumenet.live\/collections\/engawa\/products\/0433-f2-kuma-tea-garden-fk030-tenkaichi-yamecha-gyokuro-saemidori-heritage-grade-71st-all-japan-tea-competition-grand-prize-winning-garden-30g-gift-can\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eEngawa Gift Can\u003c\/a\u003e format.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAwards\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis harvest was handpicked in April and won the \u003cstrong\u003eSpecial “FORTNUM \u0026amp; MASON BEST IN SHOW” Award at the 2023 \u0026amp; 2024 Leafies Competition\u003c\/strong\u003e in the UK.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis field produced \u003cstrong\u003e2017's 71st All Japan National Tea Competition, Gyokuro Category winning gyokuro (Minister's Award)\u003c\/strong\u003e. Tea farmer Masahiro Kuma's winning gyokuro submission in 2017 was the only tea that received a perfect 200 out of 200 points.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2019, this gyokuro won the \u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" title=\"Results of the Japanese Tea Selection Paris 2019\" href=\"https:\/\/japaneseteaselection-paris.com\/fr\/resultats-2019\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eJapanese Tea Selection Paris\u003c\/a\u003e Grand Prix\u003c\/strong\u003e (shown in photo). This contest is judged by French food critics\/scholars and they will evaluate not just the taste and aroma but also the compatibility with French cuisine as well as the packaging. Some of the comments Kuma-san received indicated that it goes well with chocolate. In 2020 as well Tenkaichi won the \u003cstrong\u003eBronze Medal\u003c\/strong\u003e, and in 2021 and 2022, won the \u003cstrong\u003eGold Medal\u003c\/strong\u003e at this competition. In 2023, Tenkaichi won the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.ukteaacademy.co.uk\/the-leafies\/\" title=\"The Leafies\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFortnum \u0026amp; Mason Best in Show Award and a Gold Medal at the Leafies\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e held in the UK.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2024, the Tenkaichi was placed \u003cstrong\u003e9th at the National Tea Competition\u003c\/strong\u003e with a score of 194 \/ 200 points. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Name\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe name \"Tenkaichi\" means \"number one under the heavens\" and is used by many Japanese tea brands as their top gyokuro. But in Kuma-san's case in 2017, his gyokuro was truly the top in Japan, and fulfilled his son's Tanabata wish: \"ocha de ichiban\" --- \"to be number one in tea\" (Tanabata is the July 7th festival in which children place their wishes on bamboo branches). \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother interesting bit of trivia is that Kuma-san and our other Gyokuro specialist Akio Kurihara (from \u003ca rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/yumenet.live\/collections\/kurihara-tea-farm\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eKurihara Tea Farm\u003c\/a\u003e) are high school classmates and frequently compete against each other. In 2017, there were 100 entries and of the top 30, 24 were from Yame, Fukuoka, 4 from Kyoto, and 2 from Shizuoka. The saemidori cultivar also made up 28 of the top 30 entries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eProduct Info\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIngredients\u003c\/strong\u003e: Green tea\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCultivar\u003c\/strong\u003e: Saemidori\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBatch\u003c\/strong\u003e: 4kg micro batch, handpicked\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHarvest\u003c\/strong\u003e: Handpicked in April. Aged and released in September\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRegion\u003c\/strong\u003e: Yame, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNotes\u003c\/strong\u003e: Shading begins in late March, and increased little by little for 3-4 weeks. Then the approx 10kg harvest is processed carefully as a micro-batch.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Kuma Tea Gardens","offers":[{"title":"5g \/ 0.2 oz \/ Harvested 2025 April 25","offer_id":32760600461417,"sku":"kmtgy01-005-y25","price":27.57,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false},{"title":"(Not available) 100g \/ 3.5 oz \/ Harvested 2025 April 25\/ Paulownia Gift Box","offer_id":40024080384105,"sku":"kmtgy01-100","price":276.59,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0926\/4578\/products\/kuma-tea-garden-yamecha-saemidori-heritage-grade-gyokuro-tenkaichi-71st-all-japan-tea-competition-grand-prize-winning-garden-614891.jpg?v=1663993192","url":"https:\/\/yumenet.live\/en-au\/products\/kuma-tea-gardens-saemidori-gyokuro-tenkaichi-71st-all-japan-tea-competition-grand-prize-winning-garden","provider":"yumenet.live","version":"1.0","type":"link"}