{"id":1173,"date":"2023-08-28T19:10:34","date_gmt":"2023-08-28T17:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kumikomatchabyidh.ch\/cultivar\/"},"modified":"2023-10-22T14:32:08","modified_gmt":"2023-10-22T12:32:08","slug":"cultivar","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kumikomatchabyidh.ch\/en\/cultivar\/","title":{"rendered":"Cultivar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

All you need to know<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is a cultivar? A single origin?
A blend? Definitions<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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In this article I’m going to share with you the definitions of several terms used in the world of matcha tea. I’m going to draw a parallel with wine and champagne, as they have a lot in common with tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’re probably familiar with the names of wine grape varieties like chardonnay, merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Did you know that the same applies to tea?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These “tea varieties” are called cultivars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a cultivar?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The word cultivar in agriculture, or horticultural variety<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In botany, the term “cultivar” refers to a cultivated variety of plant obtained through selection according to aesthetic criteria, growth, adaptation to an environment or resistance to disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grape variety, specifically used in the world of wine, is synonymous with the word “cultivar”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a matcha tea cultivar?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A cultivar is a group of tea plants obtained through selection and cross-breeding, and grown for their particular characteristics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, each cultivar is more or less adapted to certain weather conditions (frost-resistant, for example), or is grown for its unique flavor, color or aroma. Some cultivars are very well suited to matcha tea production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To preserve the cultivar’s qualities and prevent it from changing over time, Japanese tea is most often grown using cuttings instead of seeds. In other words, most tea fields are filled with clones of the same tea plant, all with exactly the same genetic heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Three cultivars : Yabukita, Saeakari and Asatsuyu (from left to right)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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The Yabukita example<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Deep green leaves ready for harvesting<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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In 1908, a farmer named Sugiyama Hikosaburo (\u6749\u5c71\u5f66\u4e09\u90ce) developed a new cultivar in the Shizuoka region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He named it Yabukita, which literally means northern grove (\u85ea) (\u5317), as his field was north of a bamboo grove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This cultivar is particularly hardy and cold-resistant, can survive in a wide range of climates, and has a pronounced flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yabukita was registered as an official cultivar in 1954, and spread widely throughout Japan. Today, it is the most popular tea: according to Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, it accounts for 75% of Japanese tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is virtually ubiquitous in matcha production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The disadvantage of Yabukita is that it is vulnerable to insect pests and disease, and needs a great deal of care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other cultivars?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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There are many cultivars (over a hundred), much less well known than Yabukita, with varied taste profiles. Other cultivars include Samidori, Asahi, Komakage and Yamakai. There are also hybrid cultivars, i.e. crosses between two cultivars, such as Tsuyuhikari.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowing about them adds an extra dimension to tea tasting and understanding, in addition to tea type, farmers and terroirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cultivars offer several advantages:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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  • they come in a wide variety of flavors and aromas, providing plenty of choice and tasting delights<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • the farmer can choose a cultivar suited to the climate and conditions of his terroir<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • they are more stable in quality and yield than zairai<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    The special case of zairai<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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    Tokuya-san tea fields in the Kyoto region<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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    The use of cultivars is relatively recent in the history of Japanese tea, only becoming commonplace in the 60s and 70s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Before this boom, tea was grown from seed. Today, only a handful of tea gardens use this method (around 3%). These native tea varieties, which belong to no distinctive cultivar, are called zairai (\u5728\u6765).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In this case, each plant has a unique and different genetic heritage: a field of zairai is like a large natural assemblage of hundreds of unique plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Zairai are no longer popular with most farmers for several reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    • they are not as profitable as cultivars, as their yield is uncertain<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • as they are all genetically different, the harvest timing and taste of all tea bushes will be different, even if they are part of the same tea garden. This makes harvesting more difficult for farmers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      But zairai also have undeniable advantages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      • zairai are more resistant to disease and pests, thanks to their diversity and adaptation to their native terroir<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • many consider the rare flavor of zairai to be that of the Japanese tea of yesteryear<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        That’s why I’m so happy to be working with our farmer-partner Tokuya-san and his natural matcha zairai, which is a true rarity and a unique pleasure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Blends<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        Blending is a combination of teas blended in certain proportions to give a particular taste effect. These proportions are generally adjusted each year according to the quality of the different batches of teas available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Blend features<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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