There is a famous tea master in Shizuoka; a special district that produces tea. It is Maeda Fumio, the Managing Director of Maeda Kotaro Shoten. His skill and sense are estimated highly, as he is an expert in tea tasting who has got the highest grade at the national tea tasting meeting.
Good tea tasters don’t always mean great tea makers, however. His special power is explained by the tea he has produced, not the career. Maeda sees tea leaves and finds its individuality. To say plainly, he is able to make delicious tea.
Maeda Fumio
Their draw is the “Midori no Shizuku (Green Drops).” Namely, drinking the tea clearly shows what Maeda Fumio is. Uniquely mix several kinds of tea from Shizuoka and Kochi prefecture, Maeda produces the special tea whose perfume, bitterness and sweetness are quietly in harmony.
Kind: Yabukita
Tea Kind: Sencha
Price: 1,000 JPN (+ tax) / 100 g
Leaching Time: 50 - 60 sec.
Maeda Fumio says “We would like to produce gentle tea. In green tea, we desire to express the highest quality of the tea.” When individualities of several kinds of tea grow most and make some chemistry for the peak each other, the tea becomes pretty gentle as someone drinks and feels relaxed.
Anyway, drinking is the best to know what it is. It is also very important to control a temperature of the hot water to pour into the tea leaves. Over 80 degrees increases catechin which causes bitterness. It is desirable you make “Midori no Shizuku” at 70 – 75 degrees. When it has just boiled, it is about 100 degrees. Every time you transfer a cup to another, hot water is said to be cooled down 5 – 10 degrees. (It depends on the material of the cup) Please try to drink “Midori no Shizuku” at 70 – 75 degrees. You can actually understand what gentle tea means.