Tea Cultivar · Camellia sinensis var. sinensis
Asahi
- Origin
- Japan - Kyoto (Uji)
- Registered
- 1953
- Primary use
- matcha, tencha, gyokuro
Overview
Asahi - 'morning sun' - is the most prestigious of the traditional Uji matcha cultivars, often used as the dominant component in the highest grades of ceremonial matcha. Selected from native Uji seedlings and registered in 1953, it commands among the highest prices of any tea cultivar in Japan.
Characteristics
A small-leafed sinensis with a compact growth habit, modest yield, and exceptional shade response. It buds in mid-season and requires careful management - Asahi is notoriously demanding to grow well - but rewards skilled producers with leaves of extraordinary color and theanine concentration. It is mostly confined to the original Uji-Tawara and Wazuka growing zones.
Flavor profile
The cup is profoundly sweet, deeply umami, and almost syrupy in texture, with a soft floral perfume and an exceptionally long finish. Top-grade Asahi matcha is the benchmark against which other ceremonial matcha is judged: smooth, lingering, with no roughness anywhere on the palate.
Where it grows
Kyoto (Uji-Tawara, Wazuka)