Sencha “Hibi”

Maruro-en is a very small, family-operated tea farm in Hatsukura Shizuoka, on the eastern edge of the Makinohara Plateau, overlooking the Oi River. Makinohara is Japan’s largest tea plateau, while Hatsukura sits on its quieter, higher-elevation ridge. This area has long hours of sun, fog after rain, and cool mornings, even throughout summer. The tea fields that thrive here span two distinct soil types: red clay and kuroboku, (a dark volcanic soil found in parts of Japan). The relatively long hours of sunlight here cause tea plants to develop particularly thick, dense leaves, which dictates how they must be steamed and processed. Maruro-en focuses on minimally processed teas with the intention of preserving the characteristics of both the varietal and terroir, much like an unfined and unfiltered wine. Their philosophy for tea making is centered around “asking the tea,” which means honouring each field, season, leaf, and what each particular harvest is asking of them. Hibi means “day-by-day.” The concept for this tea is 日日是茶日和, which roughly translates to, “every day is a good day for tea” – something we strongly agree with. Hibi is an open-field Yabukita grown under Makinohara’s long sunlight, which gives this varietal especially thick leaves. Deep steaming transforms these leaves into a tea with body, sweetness, and just enough astringency to remain refreshing. It is aracha-style and intended for casual daily drinking. Otsuka handcrafts this tea, following an intuitive method focused on minimal processing. He writes that, “whether or not tea creates some enormous feeling of amazement or emotion, I hope that because tea is there, the person drinking it can feel even a little happiness or comfort, and that their life might become a little richer.” Dry this tea smells soft, like vanilla, hinting at the innate sweetness of Yabukita. It brews an opaque lemon-lime coloured liquor that has a rich body, electric energetics, and a friendly astringency. It imparts great energy, qualities, and clarity, especially for an “everyday” tea.