Kagoshima
Chiran-Cha
Chiran-cha is one of the most premium tea leaves from Kagoshima, where a great amount of tea leaves are harvested.
The history of Chiran-cha is not as long as other famous tea leaves, but the quality management and craftsmanship in harvesting and manufacturing the tea leaves are no less sophisticated than the rivals. Through such technology and artisanship, they produce a lot of great tea leaves, among which, the deep-steamed tea made from the Chiran tea leaves is becoming popular among tea connoisseurs.
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Tea plantations in Chiran
Kagoshima, located in the southernmost area of the country, is one of the most well-known tea-producing regions in Japan, and the mild weather and broad land are pretty suitable for cultivation of great tea leaves.
The amount of production of tea leaves is second to Shizuoka prefecture: 30% of Japanese tea leaves are grown in this region.
The Chiran region, where Chiran-cha is produced, is located in the southwest area of the prefecture, and the average altitude is almost 600 feet. This region is also the place where Sakurajima, an active volcano, is situated. The ash from the volcano makes the land well-draining and highly fertile.
Attracts tea masters in the world
It was 150 years ago when the Chiran region started to grow tea leaves. The broad land was perfect for cultivating premium black tea leaves and it was their specialty.
However, around 1965, Japan began to import more black tea leaves from overseas, and the tea makers in the Chiran region made a pivotal decision to start growing Japanese tea leaves. That was the dawn of one of the most famous tea gardens of 1200 hectares in Japan.
These days, the region is becoming attractive among many tea masters in the world.
The quality fully managed by the local manufacturers
As the Chiran region is broad, they capitalize on it and use advanced large machines and high-tech robots, which are often unavailable in tea gardens in mountains, to harvest tea leaves. Thus they harvest tea leaves as efficiently as they do by hand or on small harvesters.
Also, the quality management in the Chiran region is stringent. For instance, only tea leaves that undergo inspection and evaluation three times a year and are deemed suitable for shipping can be classified as Chiran-cha.
Deep-steamed tea full of artisanship
A broad land like the Chiran region has a longer day, and the sunlight cultivates thick leaves. Thus, the tea made from the thick leaves often features a rich bitterness. Chiran-cha is no exception—or the best of them.
The sencha (whose “sen” means steaming in Japanese) made from the tea leaves of the Chiran region takes longer to steam the leaves. Not only that, the tea leaves are shielded from the sun to enhance the taste, which is called “Kabuse Method.” These procedures make the taste of Chiran-cha more rich-flavored and of intricate umami.
The deep-steamed tea of the Chiran region is awarded not only nationwide but also internationally, and it was served to the leaders at an international summit in 2023.
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