In 1942 the first generation Eiyu Nagayama established the Nagayama tea factory, the second generation Nagayama Akira cleared up forests and expanded our fields.

After that, Akio Nagayama commited to continue improving our tea quality. And now, the 4th generation through the efforts of Nagayama Kazuhiro, we have been certfied JGAP and ISO9001.

We are located in Ei-Cho at the southern tip of the Satsuma Peninsula in Kagoshima Prefecture, the annual average temperature is 17 ° C and the climate is mild.

Our tea plant is located in a mountain above 250 meters in altitude with morning and evening fog, day and night temperature difference, wet soil and moderate solar radiation, is the ideal natural environment for tea trees.

Thanks to its mild climate, in addition to the widely known Yabukita, the region grows a large scope of tea cultivars: the rich Yutaka Midori with its intense aroma and high levels of cathecin, the bright and sweet Sae Midori with its nice smell and high contents of theanin and amino acid, as well as the rare Asatsuyu, known as the “natural Gyokuro”, with its fragrant aroma and thick sweetness.

Covering 3,454 hectares and with four crops a year, this region is the largest producer of green tea in Japan.

Chiran tea is the result of the common efforts of three long-established tea communities located in Minamikyushu, Kagoshima. Ei, Kawanabe and Chiran communities have a long and deeply rooted history with tea, starting in Kawanabe in 1659 by Samurai families (you can still visit samurai houses in Chiran).

Today, 845 producers supply 129 factories with a large scope of cultivars. Their work and dedication to making the  nest grade of tea are recognized by the number of awards that Chiran tea has received in prefecture and nation-wide competitions (116 by the end of 2014).

Making good use of the exceptional climate blessing the region, the producers are steadily giving more and more importance to growing more delicate, but tastier and healthier, tea cultivars such as Sae Midori and Asatsuyu.

Tea leaves grown in such rich natural environment contain plenty of umami ingredients, and by adding an extra care in our steaming process by deep-steaming (longer steaming time for the tea leaves) we considerably suppress it's astringency and maximize the aroma and umami. Our teas are mild and rich, have a try, and send us your comments !