Uji
Uji is a city and tea district in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, central to the history of matcha, sencha and gyokuro and one of Japan's most prestigious tea origins.
Definition
Uji (宇治) is a city south of Kyoto and the historic heart of Japanese tea. Tea was planted there by the Kamakura period, and by the 14th and 15th centuries Uji tea was regarded as the best in the country, supplying the shogunate and the tea ceremony tradition. Several processing advances came from the Uji area. Growers there developed the shading of tea fields under reed and straw covers by the 16th century, the basis of tencha for matcha and later of gyokuro. In 1738 Nagatani Soen of Ujitawara developed the Uji method of steaming, rolling and drying leaf, the foundation of modern sencha. Gyokuro was developed in the 1830s from shaded leaf. Today Kyoto Prefecture is a small producer by volume compared with Shizuoka and Kagoshima, but it focuses on high-value shaded teas: tencha for matcha and gyokuro. The Uji-cha regional brand covers tea grown in Kyoto, Nara, Shiga and Mie prefectures and finished in Kyoto Prefecture by Kyoto-based producers, so not all "Uji" tea is grown in the city itself.
In Depth
Uji is best known for matcha and gyokuro. For Uji gyokuro, brew 6-10 g in 60-80 ml at 50-60°C (122-140°F) for about 2 minutes. For usucha matcha, whisk 2 g with 70 ml of water at 70-80°C (158-176°F).
Under the Uji-cha brand rules, tea from the four prefectures must be finished by Kyoto-based companies using Kyoto methods. Labels that name a specific area, such as Ujitawara, Wazuka or Kyotanabe, tell you more. Wazuka produces a large share of Kyoto Prefecture's tea.
"Uji matcha" on a foreign product label has no enforced meaning outside Japan. Check that the packer is a Kyoto company and that the product lists harvest and grade, not just the place name. Kyoto Prefecture grows only a few percent of Japan's tea, so genuine Uji tea is expensive and widely imitated.
See Also
- Japanese Tea History
- Kyoto Tea
- Shade-Grown Tea