Our amazing Sencha comes from Wazuka, a town in Sōraku District, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.

Wazuka, is an area of 25 mi² with a population of 6,500 people. It is filled with 600 hectares (2.32 mi²) of tea that are owned by 300 different families. About a hundred of them are full-time farms. This town is quite far away from the big cities, but quite easy to get to from Osaka or Kyoto, by train or bus. 

Wazuka is mostly a farming town which prides itself in its top quality green teas. Many connoisseurs see it as the number 1 tea in Japan.

The distinction in the type of tea produced depends mostly on the way the plant is grown and how the leaves are processed.

The distinction in the type of tea produced depends mostly on the way the plant is grown and how the leaves are processed. The best qualities of Japanese tea are yielded by drastically limiting the amount of direct sunlight on the laves, in a uniquely Japanese technique called "shading" which produces a sweeter tasting tea.

Nevertheless, the biggest difference between Japanese teas and Chinese blends is fermentation. Japanese tea is steamed to prevent fermentation, and this increases the tea's aroma.
 

According to the Kyoto Guide, the area was selected in the Kamakura period (1192 – 1333) for tea production by a high-ranking Buddhist monk from a local temple, who received tea seeds and chose Wazuka as the most suitable location to grow them. It has enjoyed an 800-year history ever since, as one of the main production areas of Ujicha (another name for Sencha). 

Today, while Ujicha comprises only 3% of the tea produced in Japan, it enjoys royal status as one of the most highly prized and respected teas in the country.

It is important to know Japan keeps 60% of its tea production and exports the other 40%.

Credits: - Kyoto Guide
                - Knstrct Blog