{"title":"Shinichi Kihara","description":"\u003cimg class=\"img-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0926\/4578\/collections\/kihara-large_a4e2ed23-f756-4462-93e0-3ce637e931dd_2048x.png?v=1441682785\"\u003e\n\u003cdl class=\"accordion\"\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003ca href=\"#\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\n\u003csmall class=\"right\"\u003e▼\u003c\/small\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e\n\u003cimg class=\"cfl\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0926\/4578\/files\/kihara-sq_large.jpg?14856604955379417500\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWHY DID YOU START FARMING?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne reason was that my father was a tea farmer, and I had the opportunity to take over. The other reason is that I began participating in the Shumei Natural Agriculture Network, which promotes a philosophy of no fertilizer and no pesticide use -- farming that is as natural as you can get: \"Natural Agriculture is a way of farming based on a deep respect and regard for nature. It puts us in touch with the natural forces so that we can work in harmony and partnership with nature. Although it begins with the growing of crops, Nature Agriculture is a philosophy and way of life, encompassing the way we eat, cook and think about food. It is practiced by farmers and consumers alike, by individuals as well as whole communities. Natural Agriculture is not just a set of actions or techniques, it is a way of interacting with the earth and our environment, brought to life through our relationship with food.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e\u003ca href=\"#\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\n\u003csmall class=\"right\"\u003e▼\u003c\/small\u003eOUR HISTORY \u0026amp; INFO\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMESSAGE TO THE WORLD\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI hope that, through my tea farm and Yunomi.us, more people will learn about the Shumei agricultural philosophy (no fertilizers, no pesticides), about the delicious taste of tea made with traditional farming methods, and that more tea lovers will be able to drink tea that is good for your body.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNAME: Shinichi Kihara\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLOCATION: 16-203 Biwa Uji, Uji City, Kyoto 611-0021, JAPAN\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSIZE \/ # of FIELDS: 3500 sq meters \/ 3 fields\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eESTABLISHED: Inherited the farm from my father, and have been farming for 20 years.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eALTITUDE: Approx 500 meters\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFARM LABOUR: We are a very small farm, so it's just me, my wife, my mother, and occasional volunteers who help out around the farm.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePRIMARY SALES ROUTE: I sell primarily to members of the Shumei Natural Agriculture Network.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/dd\u003e\n\u003c\/dl\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"kihara-naturally-grown-kabusecha","title":"NOT AVAILABLE \/\/ Tea Farmer Shinichi Kihara: Naturally Grown Kyoto Kabusecha (Single Cultivar Gokou) 自然栽培かぶせ茶ごこう","description":"\u003cp\u003eKabusecha, sometimes called Kabuse Sencha, is a tea that is shaded for approximately two weeks. Shading the tea leaves cuts out the sunlight that reaches the plant and forces the plant to retain more L-theanine (creating the savory umami flavor), and reduces catechins (the antioxidant which produces astringency). This results in a balanced tea that is rich and savory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKabusecha was most often used as a blender -- combined with sencha to increase the quality of a large volume of sencha, or with gyokuro (tea shaded for approximately 3 weeks) to increase the quantity of gyokuro. Recently, it is sold by itself as more farmers attempt to create unique products for the market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTea farmer Shinichi Kihara inherited his farm from his father and follows an agricultural philosophy that prohibits the use of fertilizer and pesticides (synthetic, natural, organic or otherwise). This type of agricultural, called Shumei Natural Agriculture, aims to produce food that is as natural as possible. For this reason, the flavor profile attained will be different from other Kabusecha found on this site.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFlavor Guide\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSavoriness\u003c\/strong\u003e (umami): ★★★\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSweetness\u003c\/strong\u003e (amami): ★★★\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAstringency\u003c\/strong\u003e (shibumi): ★★\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBrewed Leaves\u003c\/strong\u003e: After steeping 3-4 times, the used leaves will be soft and can be eaten as a salad.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\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: Gokou (御香）\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHarvest Season\u003c\/strong\u003e: Spring\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCultivation Notes\u003c\/strong\u003e: Shaded for 2 weeks before harvesting. Harvested by machine.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProcessing Notes\u003c\/strong\u003e: New spring leaves are steamed, rolled, and dried immediately after harvesting.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProducer\u003c\/strong\u003e: Shinichi Kihara (farmer, processor)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLocation\u003c\/strong\u003e: Uji City, Kyoto\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSize \/ # of Fields\u003c\/strong\u003e: 3500 sq meters \/ 3 fields\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAltitude\u003c\/strong\u003e: Approx 500 meters\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePhoto\u003c\/strong\u003e from 2022 harvest\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Shinichi Kihara","offers":[{"title":"[2024] 10g \/ 0.35 oz \/ June \/ Yunomi Sample Bag","offer_id":41480993767529,"sku":"skh001-010-y24","price":500.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false},{"title":"[2024] 100g \/ 3.5 oz \/ May \/ Yunomi Resealable Bag","offer_id":41480993800297,"sku":"skh001-100-y24","price":3300.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false},{"title":"[2024] 1kg \/ 2.2 lbs \/ May \/ Bulk Bag","offer_id":41480993833065,"sku":"skh001-1kg-y24","price":30000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false},{"title":"NOT AVAILABLE [ 2025 ] 1kg \/ 2.2 lbs \/ Bulk bag","offer_id":42487106502761,"sku":null,"price":32000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0926\/4578\/products\/image_a38c3574-c2e0-4285-aff9-7f2455416ecc.heic?v=1656919576"},{"product_id":"kihara-naturally-grown-kyobancha-winter-roasted-green-tea-leaves","title":"#0610.K6 Tea Farmer Shinichi Kihara: Naturally Grown Kyobancha 京番茶 (Winter-roasted green tea leaves)","description":"\u003cp\u003eUnique to the city of Kyoto from which it gets name, Kyobancha is harvested from tea leaves and twigs that have matured over the winter months and then roasted producing a very woodsy flavor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOften called 'bancha for babies' (akachan bancha 赤ちゃん番茶) because it has almost no caffeine, it is also called 'spring bancha' (haru bancha 春番茶) because it is harvested in March from winter matured leaves. Rarely offered outside of Japan, it is even quite rare to find it in supermarkets in Japan as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShinichi Kihara's Kyobancha gives off a smoky aroma, but surprises you with a flavor that is both smoky as well as sweet. (See our steeping notes.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease note that because the leaves are unrolled, they are quite bulky, resulting in a higher shipping price than 200g of other tea. This price is built into the product price rather than the shipping fee. If buying in amounts larger than what is listed, please contact us for more accurate pricing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #aaa;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eTea Stories\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the Yunomi staff was joking about how the kyobancha tea leaves look like dried leaves you might find in your garden, right before she (and she shall remain anonymous) took a sip and exclaimed, 'Ah! Oishii! (Delicious!)' -- You can't judge a book by its cover...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\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\u003eHarvest\u003c\/strong\u003e: March (of leaves that have grown over the winter). Note that new harvests are steamed and dried, then kept in storage. The “freshness” is determined by the freshness of the roast, and the tea is roasted when we order from Kihara-san. \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRegion\u003c\/strong\u003e: Wazuka Village, Kyoto\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Shinichi Kihara","offers":[{"title":"10g \/ 0.35 oz \/ March Harvest \/ resealable bag","offer_id":30955336958057,"sku":"skh046-010","price":430.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true},{"title":"200g \/ 7 oz \/ March Harvest \/ Original bag (non-resealable)","offer_id":39778074132585,"sku":"skh046-200","price":2700.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true},{"title":"1 Case (200g x 20 bags) \/ 4kg \/ 8.8 lbs \/ March Harvest \/ Original bag (produced on demand)","offer_id":47821625294953,"sku":"skh046-200x20","price":50000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0926\/4578\/products\/tea-farmer-shinichi-kihara-skh003-naturally-grown-kyobancha-winter-roasted-green-tea-leaves-581015.jpg?v=1765932148"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0926\/4578\/collections\/kihara-large_a4e2ed23-f756-4462-93e0-3ce637e931dd.png?v=1441682785","url":"https:\/\/yumenet.live\/en-gb\/collections\/shinichi-kihara.oembed","provider":"yumenet.live","version":"1.0","type":"link"}