Kagoshimacha is tea produced in Kagoshima prefecture.
Kagoshima is located in south of Kyushu island and its average temperature is 17-18 degrees. It has warm climate throughout a year and a big amount of precipitation and insolation.
Tea plucking starts in early summer in other areas but it starts in the end of March in Kagoshima due to the warm climate in south region. The shincha (new tea) before its season in Japan from Kagoshima is familiar to people as“Hashiri shincha (the very first tea).
Beginning of the era of “Kagoshima of Japanese tea”
Shizuoka prefecture had been regarded as a symbol of Japanese tea for a long time but it is competing with Kagoshima prefecture these days.
What causes it is that the output of tea in Kagoshima got the first place for the first time in 2019. Kagoshima exceeded Shizuoka that had been the top for the last 50 years.
The production quantity of Aracha (Unrefined tea) is 26,700 tons in 2022 and it occupies about 30% of the total amount in Japan. Mechanization is increasing in most tea gardens in the prefecture: 98% of its area has been mechanized. And production after the third plucking is also carried out frequently.
People pay attention to organic cultivation that doesn’t use chemical fertilizers, pesticides nor the Genetic Modification techniques recently from the view point of safety and health. Kagoshima prefecture is on the top not only of a big amount of tea production but of organic cultivation areas in Japan.
Some theories of history of Kagoshimacha
There are some theories of Kagoshimacha and there are 2 plausible theories about its origin.
1. A theory that a person who had lost in war started tea cultivation in Temino, mountainous region in Chiran town, around the 13th century. It is said to be the beginning of Chirancha.
2. Another theory that tea seeds from Uji were sown in Hannyaji temple in Yoshimatu town around the14th – 16th century.
In any case, tea cultivation in Kagoshima on a full scale has started after the second World War.
Chirancha, famous tea in Kagoshimacha
The most famous tea in Kagoshimacha brand is “Chirancha” produced in Minami-Kyushu city.
It has bright green liquor color, brisk flavor and strong umami. It often wins awards at a national tea competitive show etc. It is popular in a wide range of generations due to its pleasant texture and gets high reputation from young people.
Main brands in Kagoshimacha
Some cultivars of different optimum plucking time from early cultivars to late cultivars are cultivated in Kagoshima by taking advantage of its warm climate. Tea leaves got lots of sunlight in south region contain enough astringency unique to Japanese tea. Tea leaf and liquor color have beautiful deep green and are rich in taste.
Main brands in Kagoshimacha
Chirancha (Chiran, Ei, Kawanabe)
Makurazakicha (Makurazaki)
Tanegashimacha (Tanegashima island)
Matsumotocha (Matsumoto)
Satsumacha, Miyanojocha (Satsuma)
Takarabecha, Soocha (Takarabe)
Shibushicha, Ariakecha (Shibushi)