
- HOME >
- Green Tea
Asamiya Sencha, the rare Japanese green tea that gives full body
- [2014.12.23] Posted By Akira Hojo
Asamiya sencha (朝宮煎茶) is from Shigaraki, Koga city in Shiga prefecture. Asamiya is the district that belongs to Shigaraki town.The taste of Asamiya sencha is very rich, full body and it gives lingering sweetness on our palate. In fact, full-body character is extremely rare for Japanese green tea.
Asamiya is gifted place with special clay
The reason why the Asamiya sencha gives strong body is due to the soil condition. In Japan, Shigaraki is one of the 6 famous kilns. The clay in Shigaraki is rich in alkaline minerals such as potassium and calcium. The Shigaraki clay is used for making various types of tea ware throughout the history.
Shigaraki area used to be the bottom of the old Biwa Lake
The Shigaraki area used to be at the bottom of the lake back in a few million years ago. The position of the lake moved to the north afterwards when there was further crustal movement. In Japan, the ancient lake situated around Shigaraki or Iga area is called Kobiwako(古琵琶湖): Ko means old and Biwako means Biwa Lake (琵琶湖).If tea is grown in the soil with rich mineral content, no doubt that it will be reflected in its taste.
Many brands of Sake produced in Shigaraki give full body character
As a matter of fact, not only the tea from Asamiya is rich in body, rice, vegetable and even Sake from these areas gives full body characteristic. If you have any chance to visit Japan, I suggest you to look for the sake that is made in either Shigaraki or Iga. The sake from these areas is less expensive, yet it gives very deep after taste as well as full body. The good things are often less popular. One of our clay teapot line-ups, called Kobiwako clay teapot, is also from these areas. Thanks to the clay collected at the bottom of the lake, the taste of tea is very rich if we brew it in Kobiwako clay.
The most Japanese green tea lost body during the process
In Japan, extremely less tea gives full body character. It is because of distorted quality criteria in Japan. Japanese does care a lot about the appearance. Most of Japanese teas are processed with colour sorting machine in order to completely remove the stems.
The manufacturers in Japan do not like to see the stem as it gives a contrast in colour. After removing the stem, the colour of tea leaves becomes homogeneous. The manufacturer feels the homogeneous colour looks more beautiful and it is supposed to be the appearance of a good tea. However, the function of stem in taste is much more important than their imagination.
A stem contributes in the sweetness, body and richness in taste
Have you ever tried the tea called Karigane or Bocha? These are the tea that only consists of tea stems. Surprisingly the taste is very rich in body and you may enjoy the fullness of the sweetish taste on your palate. This sweetness comes from the specific type of mineral exists in stems, such as calcium. If you imagine eating some vegetables such as spinach, celery or any brassica plant, do not you think that the stem is sweeter than the leaf? You may feel that the white-pale part of spring onion is sweeter than the green leaf too. It is because that in the plant metabolism the calcium only reaches until the stem. If tea contains no stem, the taste of the tea also becomes too clear and transparent. In fact, the stem was not removed before in Japan. Our parent used to tell us that we have good luck if the stem of tea stands up in our cup of tea. For now, we will never find any stem in our cup. Considering the above facts, we purposely did not remove the stem of tea. As a result, the tea gives extra body and fuller taste on our palate.
Deep after taste thanks to the natural farming practice
The Asamiya sencha that we introduced is made from the naturally farmed tea. It is also from the Zairai variety. The Zairai variety means the tea tree is planted from seed. The root is deeper and longer than the cultivated tea like Yabukita. The flavour of Asamiya Sencha is very clear, slight floral note with a hint of sweet nutty flavour and also a little fruity. It reminds me of young grapes or citrus fruit.
Related Articles
How to get the latest update on HOJO Tea?
1. Follow Twitter, 2. Click "Like" on Facebook, and 3. Subscribe in newsletter. You can have the latest tea news from HOJO Tea.
Subscribe the Newsletter to enjoy the privileges
- You may receive a free sample upon purchase, or you may have the priority to purchase special products. So please remember to subscribe our newsletter as well as the social network.
- Special Release Limited Set of Ancient White Tea from 5 Gardens
- The ancient white tea is a very popular tea in our store. We produced this tea in spring. Following production, it was stored in an oxygen-free environment for several months to further enhance its flavor, achieving the expected maturation. The production of ancient tree white tea is limited in quantity per day, resulting in small …
- The New Arrival of Da Xue Shan Wild White Tea Loose 2023
- We have released the 2023 harvest of wild white tea from the Da Xue Shan. Fresh Green Colour of Leaves Achieved Through Custom Production Da Xue Shan’s wild white tea is an incredibly rare type of white tea, and it’s made from a unique plant called Camellia Taliensis that grows in the wild in the …
NEW ARTICLES
We released Lapsang Suchong Qi Zhong Classic: Premium Lapsang Souchong
- Lapsang Souchong is one of the earliest known black teas distinguished by a unique production method and flavour profile. Its origins are often linked to the Wuyi Mountains in China’s Fujian province, where Lapsang Souchong is traditionally crafted. Black tea production in the Wuyi region has a history dating back several centuries. Lapsang Souchong tea …
Regular Consumption of Umami Seasoning Can Influence Taste Preferences
- Excessive consumption of artificial condiments, such as umami seasonings, is believed to influence one’s taste and preferences. I’d like to share my own view to explore how an overabundance of condiments can indeed influence one’s palate. Umami Seasonings Are Prevalent in Asian Countries I spend half of the year living abroad, particularly in China and …
Special Release Limited Set of Ancient White Tea from 5 Gardens
- The ancient white tea is a very popular tea in our store. We produced this tea in spring. Following production, it was stored in an oxygen-free environment for several months to further enhance its flavor, achieving the expected maturation. The production of ancient tree white tea is limited in quantity per day, resulting in small …
The New Arrival of Da Xue Shan Wild White Tea Loose 2023
- We have released the 2023 harvest of wild white tea from the Da Xue Shan. Fresh Green Colour of Leaves Achieved Through Custom Production Da Xue Shan’s wild white tea is an incredibly rare type of white tea, and it’s made from a unique plant called Camellia Taliensis that grows in the wild in the …
5 Years Aged Wu Liang Shan White Tea from 2018
- In 2018, we introduced the Wu Liang Shan Ancient Tree White Tea. It became an instant hit, selling out quickly due to its exquisite taste and captivating aroma.Fortunately, we had the foresight to store half of the tea in Malaysia, where the consistently high temperatures create the perfect conditions for aging. Over the past five …
Grand Reopening of Gardens’ HOJO Store: Exciting Promotions Await!
- We are delighted to announce that HOJO tea shop at The Gardens Mall will be reopening after renovation on Tuesday, July 11th, 10am to 10pm. To celebrate the store’s reopening, we have prepared some special promotions for the entire month of July: 1. For every RM1000 purchase on single receipt, you will have the opportunity …
Discover the long-lasting flavor profile of 2023 Shi Feng Long Jing
- We have launched the 2023 harvest of Shi Feng Long Jing tea. Shi Feng Long Jing tea, also known as Shi Feng Dragon Well tea. It is one of the most famous and highly regarded teas in China.Shi Feng Long Jing tea is characterized by its flat, spear-shaped leaves that have a vibrant green colour. …
Rare Jasmine Tea Uniquely Crafted from Ripe Pu-erh
- Instead of sourcing finished jasmine tea, we specialize in producing custom-made jasmine tea by bringing our carefully selected raw materials to jasmine factories. Over the years, we have created numerous unique jasmine tea varieties that are not available elsewhere, such as Pu-erh jasmine tea made from raw Pu-erh tea leaves, Jasmine Silver Needle made from …
Introducing 3 Varieties of Phoenix Dancong Oolong Tea
- We have released new types of Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea that are finished with more rounds of roasting with traditional charcoal fire by skilled tea master. In Phoenix, the locals called it Nong Xiang style, meaning that tea is giving more intense matured flavor. Nong Xiang tea refers to tea that has been roasted …
Exploring the Taste Diversity Within a Tea Tree: Apical Buds vs. Lateral Buds
- Do you believe that all tea leaves have the same taste as long as they come from the same tree? I would like to explain that the taste of tea can vary significantly depending on the plucking position, even when harvested from the same tree. The Difference in Flavor Due to Different Harvesting Parts of …
Shop Info

Address:Lot No. T-215, 3rd Floor, The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-2287-4537
Business Hour: 10am to 10pm
Category
- New Arrival at HOJO Online Shop
- Featured Articles
- Newsletter
- Types of Tea
- Origin of Tea
- Teapot and Tea Equipment
- Tea Column
- How to enjoy tea
- Tea Processing
- How to choose quality tea
- Tea constituents and functional effect
- Safety of Tea
- Foods
- Tea Business Operation
- Hobby and Outdoor Activity
- Ranking of Tea
- Video
- FAQ
- Media Release
Profile

- AKIRA HOJO
- I invite you to experience my tea selections.I was born in Nagano, Japan. In university, I studied agricultural chemistry, and I have the master degree in food science. I worked in Japanese food industry for 10 years. I involved in R&D, QC and QA. As a factory manager, I implemented ISO9000 series and managed the factory.
- The Art of Tea Magazine
- We posted the article on “The Art of Tea Magazine No.9, the magazine is published in Taiwan. We featured some scientific view about the tetsubin
- New Straits Times
- The Malaysian National Newspaper, New Straits Times featured HOJO Tea on 17-Oct-2007.