Farmer’s Reserve Genmaicha | 玄米茶 – 80g

A private batch, just for us — shade-grown leaves that were never meant for genmaicha.

Most genmaicha is made with inexpensive tea leaves from the second or third harvest, which can taste sharper and more bitter. This one is different.

Mr. Ohashi grows shade-covered Kabuse Yabukita in the hills of Ikumi, Shizuoka. His leaves are shaded for over 20 days — far beyond the usual kabuse duration of 7–14 days, reaching the level reserved for gyokuro, Japan’s highest grade of green tea. Leaves like these are normally kept for blending, used to lift the flavour of other teas — never made into genmaicha. We asked him to make an exception.

This is a private batch made exclusively for Kawagiri, using leaves that are, by any standard, too good for genmaicha — blended at a 1:1 ratio with JAS-certified organic roasted rice from Niigata.

The result is gentle and humble, with a hint of oceanic saltiness and a comforting roastiness. Grown without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, that purity comes through in every sip — clean, soothing, the kind of flavour that seeps into your body quietly, even on a day you’re feeling unwell. Like warm lemonade on a quiet sick day.