Gifu (Mino-Shirakawa)
Mountain country along the Hida river, centred on Shirakawa town and Higashi-Shirakawa village, where the tea is sold as Shirakawa-cha. The altitude and the swing between day and night temperatures push picking late and give the tea its aroma.
Land and climate
A valley closed in by mountains on all sides, where morning mist forms readily. The mist softens direct sun, which is the usual explanation for why savoriness survives here without shading. The height puts first flush past mid-May.
How it is made
Mostly light steaming, keeping the leaf shape and letting the aroma lift. The slopes are steep enough to keep large machinery out, so the region competes on quality rather than volume.
Cultivars
What to look for
Mountain light-steamed tea pours pale and clear. If you are expecting deep green it will look thin, but the aroma is anything but. Coming from deep-steamed tea, give it a little longer in the pot.