Yabukita
Yabukita is Japan's dominant tea cultivar, selected in Shizuoka in 1908 and grown on roughly two-thirds or more of the country's tea fields, mainly for sencha.
Definition
Yabukita (やぶきた) is a tea cultivar of Camellia sinensis var. sinensis selected by the Shizuoka tea grower Hikosaburo Sugiyama, who took cuttings from a promising plant in 1908. The name means "north of the bamboo grove," after the spot where the plant grew. It was registered as an official cultivar in 1953. Yabukita spread because it combined reliable yield, good frost resistance and a balanced flavor that suited steamed sencha. By the late 1990s it covered about three-quarters of Japan's tea acreage. Its share has slipped since, to roughly two-thirds in recent counts, but no other crop in Japan is as dominated by a single cultivar. In the cup Yabukita gives the classic sencha profile: fresh grassy and green aroma, a balance of umami and astringency, and a slight bitterness when brewed hot. It is the reference point most Japanese tea drinkers measure other cultivars against. Its dominance also raised concerns about uniform flavor and disease risk, and growers have since planted more cultivars such as Saemidori, Okumidori and Tsuyuhikari.
In Depth
Brew Yabukita sencha at 70-80°C (158-176°F), about 5 g per 150-200 ml for 60 seconds, then shorter second and third infusions with slightly hotter water. In a kyusu this gives a clear, balanced cup.
Because so much Japanese tea is Yabukita, a sencha without a cultivar listed is very likely Yabukita or a blend containing it. Single-cultivar Yabukita from a named region, such as Shizuoka or Kawane, gives a cleaner comparison against other cultivars.
Yabukita is mainly a sencha cultivar. It can be shaded for kabusecha or gyokuro, but growers often prefer cultivars such as Saemidori or Okumidori for shaded teas and matcha, which hold color and umami better under shade. Yabukita buds in mid spring, so a late frost can damage the first harvest, one reason growers now plant earlier and later cultivars alongside it.
See Also
- Japanese Green Tea
- Shizuoka Tea
- Japanese Tea Cultivars