Protecting the Perfect Cup: How Nakamura Tokichi Honten Overcomes Climate Challenges
Hello. I am Jun from the online staff.
Looking back, 2025 was a year where global warming progressed even further, and I imagine many of you were troubled by the extreme weather conditions. During the summer, which was described as intensely hot, it truly felt as though heat was being emitted from deep within the Earth.
In the midst of such intense heat, I recall how I would pour chilled Gyokuro over ice into my favorite glass, creating a sense of coolness just from its appearance. As the rich Umami components—abundant in theanine, folic acid, and Vitamin C—spread to every corner of my body, I remember feeling truly revitalized.
It was a hard time for the tea leaves as well.
The extreme weather was very harsh, not only for people but for the tea leaves as well. In 2025, due to factors such as the drop in temperature from early spring, frost—the enemy of tea leaf growth—and the subsequent early arrival of high temperatures, the harvest volume of the first flush (Ichibancha) plummeted. This decline was on a scale incomparable to the climate change concerns seen in recent years.
"Will we be able to deliver this year's shincha without delay to our customers who are so eagerly waiting for it?"
"Will the flavor be as satisfying as in previous years?"
Despite my worries, we were actually able to deliver high-quality tea to everyone—tea that possesses a unique charm found only in this particular year.
The story behind this success
The major factors, I believe, are the tireless efforts of our partner farmers, the trust and connections we share, and the techniques of precise flavor selection and Gogumi (blending) that Nakamura Tokichi Honten has preserved for over 170 years.
Tea leaves change subtly every year, even when they come from the same cultivar, harvest region, and farmer. Our leadership and tea production staff understand these nuanced annual changes in detail, selecting the specific tea leaves that best match each brand offered by Nakamura Tokichi Honten.
Nakamura Cha, the signature tea of Nakamura Tokichi Honten, is a blend of seven types of tea, including Gyokuro and Sencha, crafted using a secret ratio and method so that anyone can easily brew a delicious cup. By adjusting the proportions of each tea type and the unique flavors of the leaves from various farmers, we repeatedly test the Gogumi (blending) process to perfect the specific flavor profile of Nakamura Cha for this year.
Although this year's climate presented a difficult situation—with both harvest volumes and flavor profiles differing from typical years—we remain dedicated to protecting the "perfect cup of Nakamura Tokichi Honten".
We achieve this through our finely honed five senses and Gogumi (blending) techniques, which allow us to unerringly find the right components for this year's Nakamura Cha from a vast variety of tea leaves.
With this mission in our hearts, we will continue to approach each and every tea with sincerity in the coming year.