Harvest: Mid-season
Yabukita
Roughly 70% of Japan's tea fields, and effectively the standard cultivar. It spread on the strength of its aroma and flavor, and over decades became the reference point for Japanese sencha.
Where it came from
Selected from seedlings of local stock by Hikosaburo Sugiyama in Shizuoka in the late Meiji era, and named for the north side of a field cleared from a bamboo grove. Certified as Tea Norin No. 6 in 1953, it spread across the country after the war.
Character
Leans neither brisk nor savory. The aroma is restrained and well balanced, with few faults. Easy to grow with dependable yields, which is why it was planted everywhere — and why the reference point for Japanese tea flavor became this cultivar.
What it suits
Sencha of every kind, light- or deep-steamed. Used both as the base of a blend and as a single-cultivar tea.