Have a look at the 2020 Shincha (1st Harvest of the year) at Tsuru san's fields high in the mountains of Saga. Producing a chemical and pesticide free Gyokuro using the sweet asatsuyu cultivar, their teas are a rarity in Japan.

To celebrate the release of the 2020 New Tea (shincha), we decided to create several picture galleries showing our producers at work as they plucked their fields to collect the best leaves of the year for you.

We start this series with the Tsuru family in Saga prefecture. Tsuru san, father and son, make the wonderful and delicious organic sencha KAZUYA and organic (!) gyokuro KAZUHIRO. In only a few months, they have become bestsellers with our customers worldwide, with their distinctive flowery aroma and sweet taste.

The fields of the Tsuru family are located high in the mountains, away from cross-pollution from other fields. Machines cannot be brought up there, so everything is done by hand - from removing weeds to trimming tea bushes and of course leave plucking. All the family is put to contribution as the timeframe for harvesting the fresh leaves is very short. The weather conditions have been very good this year, delivering an incredible 2020 vintage.

Enjoy these pictures that will show you how dedicated and passionated they are!