What are tea cultivars and should you pay any attention to them?

More than 70% of all tea plants grown in Japan are genetically identical. This is because they were propagated from cuttings rather than grown from seeds. This is known as a “cultivar”, and it allows farmers to standardize quality and output of matcha tea year after year. Certain tea cultivars are said to be better for making matcha. Today we examine some of those claims.

What exactly is tea cultivar?

Tea plants are crossbred by farmers to select their desired traits, which give rise to “cultivars”. A tea cultivar is short-form for “cultivated variety”. The successful crosses are “registered” with the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization of Japan. The Yabukita cultivar became popular precisely through this process. It was bred in the early 20th century, registered in 1956 and then cultivated widely as tea production boomed in the 1970s and 1980s. Today, it is by far the most common and popular tea plant cultivar in Japan.

Tea plants enter commercial production by cutting. This keeps the genetic information identical across all plants within a cultivar. The lack of genetic diversity makes them susceptible to diseases but also much more predictable to grow and harvest. This is the reason why entire tea plantations can be harvested at about the same time. On the contrary, if tea plants were grown from seeds, each of them would have its own growth rate and ideal harvest date. The farmer would have to harvest each plant individually at different times around Spring. Considering the worldwide demand for Japanese tea, this approach simply would not work.

But wait, should I pay attention to the Japanese tea cultivars?

Yes you should! A lack of regulation and standardization means marketers can go wild with health and quality claims in their matcha products. Some brands portray certain tea cultivars as “higher quality” and charge a higher price. We also see some others touting “single-origin” matcha as a better product. They may not be wrong, but we believe that it is always good to equip yourself with the knowledge to judge the truth behind such claims. After all, Japanese matcha tea does not come cheap and you should ensure that you get your money’s worth.

For our coffee-drinking friends, the term “single-origin” is bandied about often. It often means that your beans (or leaves) come from the same place. In the context of matcha, it means that the matcha was produced entirely from tea leaves from the same estate harvested in the same year. However, the “single-origin” label on its own adds no value to the quality of the product. Single origin matcha is only a superior product if the crop from that estate is exceptional to begin with.

To illustrate, a “single origin matcha made of the Yabukita tea cultivar is probably not worth 40 dollars, unless it is grown by a renowned farmer who has applied special techniques during the shading and production process to fundamentally improve its taste.

On the other hand, the Seimei cultivar leaves used for our Chiran Harvest matcha in our Master’s Collection is a rare tea cultivar that happen to be single origin matcha, and are produced by expert and long-time farmers who are known in their community for growing excellent leaves. Their value is derived more from the growing techniques rather than their status as a single origin matcha. Indeed, these cultivars happen to be single origin matcha only because of the farmer’s preference.

The above scenario is the exception rather than the norm, because matcha tea mostly exists in blends, made out of tea leaves from multiple tea estates (not single origin). Many people perceive companies as being greedy or trying to save costs when they sell “blends” instead of single-origin products, but this is not the case for matcha.

Historically, tea masters blend different batches of processed tea leaves (known as tencha) from different years to maintain a uniform taste. Over time, these blends became popular in their own right. The great matcha brands like Ippodo and Marukyu Koyamaen grew famous as their resident tea masters created unique, proprietary blends using a mix of harvests and cultivars over a long period of time. Their customers would usually request for a specific matcha blend rather than a specific tea cultivar. Some of these are now bona fide product lines, and the tea companies must incorporate similar mixtures to maintain the taste.

This is also the case for our other ceremonial blends. We work with tea masters to create unique blends, which are maintained in taste and quality by blending in more tencha with each season of harvest. A good matcha blend means that the tea master has contributed most of the value to the finished product.

What should I know about tea cultivars if I want to grow my appreciation for matcha?

If you currently do not know much about matcha but are eager to grow your appreciation for it, here is what you can do.

1. Know your cultivars

First, get a baseline understanding of the common Japanese tea cultivars, and the “rare” tea cultivars used in matcha production. We have listed some of them below with descriptions for you to reference in the future. If something is marketed as single-origin, you can make a quick judgement of whether it is truly worth its price.

2. Consider also how it was shaded and processed

Second, understand that the cultivar of the tea plant is only one of many factors that will determine how matcha tastes. The farming skills and the shading technique of the grower have the largest impact on taste, followed by the subsequent processing in the factory. The cultivar should not be the sole determinant of price. Read the tasting notes and try to procure samples before committing to an expensive purchase.

Common Japanese tea cultivars

Here are some known tea cultivars used in producing matcha in Japan.

Yabukita

Yabukita makes up 74% of Japan’s tea farming industry. It is wide-spread and remains a top choice because it is easy to grow and has an abundant yield. It is fit for both sencha and tencha/matcha production due to its strong flavor.

Okumidori

Okumidori makes up 3% of tea farm acreage in Japan and 12% that of Kyoto. It is a cross-breed of Yabukita and a Shizuoka native cultivar. Matcha made from Okumidori is known for its sweet flavor and vibrant deep green color.

Samidori

Samidori is specially cultivated for matcha. It typically has a sleek and mellow flavor profile with a creamy mouthfeel. It also has a lovely bright green color.

Although Samidori has a slightly lower yield than Yabukita, it offers a longer picking period.It is also easily harvested since its buds tend to grow upright, and has a strong tolerance for harsh weather conditions.

Gokou

Gokou is popular for its fruity aroma, creamy texture, strong umami, and refreshing astringency. The shading process in preparation for matcha production works well to enhance its dark green color and strong aroma. Gokou is native to Uji, Kyoto.

Uji Hikari

Uji Hikari translates to “light of Uji”. It usually results in matcha tea with a velvety texture and a hint of astringency.

Asahi

Matcha tea from the Asahi cultivar gives off a sweet and rich taste. The texture is similar to Uji Hikari , with a touch of delicacy in its tastes in addition to being creamy and velvety. Its aroma has a hint of cocoa.

Seimei

Seimei is a new tea cultivar. While uncommon, we believe this cultivar will grow in popularity in the next decade. There are high hopes for this new tea cultivar because it possesses all the desired traits for producing matcha tea. It has a high yield, strong aroma, excellent color, and intense umami flavor. Because it is very resistant to frost and cold weather conditions, it can be grown throughout the whole of Japan across both temperate and sub-tropical climates.

Zarai

Zarai is a general term used for tea plants that are grown from seeds. Technically, it is not considered as a cultivar because it is not grown from cuttings. Most farmers are not fond of Zarai because of its unstable nature. There are uncertainties in growing this variety as some may grow to have strong flavors and aroma and at times, the opposite. Growing conditions can also be difficult and yields are unstable.

Final thoughts on Japanese tea cultivars

This is a nuanced topic, and it was only after meeting various players in the matcha supply chain that we were able to clarify our thinking. If you work in the tea industry or are familiar with other teas and would like to weigh in on the topic, please write to us. We hope that this article sparks a broader discussion that will help matcha tea lovers all over the world make better purchasing decisions.