Okumidori Tea Cultivar

The okumidori cultivar is a late flushing cultivated variety in comparison with the Yabukita cultivar (which is the industry standard comprising of 70% of Japan’s tea fields). It was originally developed and registered in Shizuoka in 1974 as a hybrid of Yabukita and a non-cultivar idensities as Shizuoka Zairai #16.

As a late flushing cultivar, it is able to grow in a warmer period helping farmers avoid frost damage. Originally meant for sencha it has become a popular cultivar for matcha as well as it produces a deep dark green color (as opposed to a brighter green produced by cultivars like saemidori).