Fukamushicha

Lore & Background

Fukamushicha emerged around the 1960s in Shizuoka prefecture, with its exact origin claimed by multiple towns and cities: Kikugawa, Makinohara, Kakegawa, and Shimada. Due to relatively low tea exports at the time, Japanese tea producers sought to invigorate the domestic market by experimenting with longer steaming times. The result was a tea of rich flavor, mild aroma, and little to no bitterness.

Reader's Guide

Fukamushicha represents a significant innovation in Japanese tea production, born from a period of low exports in the 1960s when producers in Shizuoka prefecture experimented with longer steaming times to stimulate the domestic market. Its exact birthplace is disputed among several towns and cities, including Kikugawa, Makinohara, Kakegawa, and Shimada. The deep-steaming process, lasting 1 to 3 minutes, neutralizes oxidation enzymes and alters the tea's flavor and appearance, yielding a fine powdery texture, dark green infusion, and rich flavor with minimal bitterness. Today, fukamushicha is produced in many Japanese prefectures and constitutes a large proportion of Japanese tea production. It can be combined with other methods, such as shade-growing, to create variants like fukamushi kabusecha, and can be made from leaves of sencha and gyokuro. Its legacy lies in revitalizing the domestic tea market and becoming a staple of Japanese tea culture.

Did You Know?

• Fukamushicha emerged around the 1960s in Shizuoka prefecture.
• Its exact origin is claimed by multiple towns and cities: Kikugawa, Makinohara, Kakegawa, and Shimada.
• The deep-steaming process lasts 1 to 3 minutes.
• Fukamushicha can be made with leaves of sencha and gyokuro.