May 2025 Newsletter

Spring First Harvest and Organic JAS Certification (Daiki T.)

The season of the first harvest has arrived once again. In spring 2025, with the global demand for matcha continuing to rise and the launch of our new tencha processing facility, we decided to increase our focus on cultivating and processing tencha for matcha production more than in previous years.

To align with this year’s harvest and processing schedule, we successfully obtained Organic JAS certification as of April 30. This certification officially recognizes D-matcha as both an organic producer of tencha and sencha and an organic processor of matcha.

The majority of our tea fields, having been under D-matcha's management for more than three years, now meet the requirements for Organic JAS certification. While some plots remain uncertified due to neighboring conventional farms and the resulting wide buffer zones required (despite being cultivated without pesticides and with organic fertilizers), most of our fields have passed inspection. Additionally, our own processing facilities have been certified on the assumption of full in-house production—from tencha roasting and sorting to final grinding.

Although the early harvest period in mid-May saw slightly lower yields due to colder-than-usual weather in April, yields have since recovered. The cooler temperatures helped suppress bud hardening, resulting in tea quality that we believe surpasses last year's.

Most importantly, having full control over our own processing facility means that we are no longer constrained by third-party factory schedules. Instead of being told when we can or cannot deliver tea leaves, we can now harvest strictly based on the tea's optimal timing in the field—an enormous advantage.

We are currently at the peak of the harvest and will move directly into the second flush. By August at the latest, we aim to have our 2025 harvest products fully prepared and ready.

From Field to Factory: My Experience in Tencha Production (Sora N.)

Starting in mid-May, we've begun harvesting the first flush of tea leaves, and this season, we’ve also taken on the operation of our own Tencha factory for the first time. Lately, I’ve been spending more time in the factory rather than out in the fields, and there are many days where I oversee the entire factory on my own. 

Inside the factory, it’s full of machines, and since the work is completely different from what I usually do, I was definitely nervous at first. Being the only one there, I also feel a strong sense of responsibility. But getting to see the processing up close—something that normally isn’t possible—has been incredibly educational. I previously knew nothing about how Tencha is processed, so this has been a great opportunity to learn.

Also, being able to taste freshly harvested leaves is something you can’t do unless you're in this kind of job, and as a matcha lover, that’s absolutely thrilling. The flavor really varies depending on the field. Some leaves are slightly bitter, while others have a hint of sweetness. The taste is inevitably affected by pre-harvest care, so it can’t be altered during processing—but the color of the leaves can be adjusted during processing.

The most important part of the processing is steaming. Steaming removes bitterness and allows adjustment of the leaf color. If the steaming is too weak, the leaves won’t develop a deep green color and may retain a harsh taste. But if it’s too strong, the leaves can turn brownish and lose their quality color, so getting the balance right is tricky. Since I’m still a beginner when it comes to adjusting the steaming, my more experienced coworkers handle that part for now—but since I’m being entrusted with the factory, I definitely want to be able to handle it myself eventually.

The basic process of making Tencha starts with steaming, followed by drying the shoots in a 200°C Tencha-ro (Tencha dryer). Next, the leaves are separated from the stems, and finally the leaves are broken into smaller pieces by machine. If you look at the image below, you can see (from bottom to top): the raw leaves, steamed leaves, first stage of drying, and the fully dried leaves on top. You can tell the color gets darker as it goes.

Of course, machines sometimes break down. The most common issue is clogging with tea buds. If you panic and try to force the clogged leaves through all at once, it just ends up clogging the next part too. So it's important to feed them gradually. At first, it felt like one issue after another, but now that the process is more stabilized, things are running smoothly.

I believe that tea has as many flavors as there are tea fields. I thought it would be fun to create matcha sweets that bring out the unique characteristics of each tea.

Hand-Picking Tencha (Seiya H.)

Just a short walk from the fields where the sencha you all enjoy is harvested, there is a field where we harvest gyokuro every year. For gyokuro cultivation, we use a method called hifuku-dana (covered shelf). When shading leaves for matcha (or tencha), the tea leaves are directly covered with a black cloth like a blanket. In contrast, the hifuku-dana method covers the plants with a tent- or curtain-like structure that does not touch the tea leaves directly.

This time, we decided to hand-pick a section of the field covered with hifuku-dana. In the past, we’ve hand-picked tea for sencha in another mountainous area. Back then, we had to brace ourselves on steep slopes in the early morning as we picked the leaves. But this time, the field was relatively flat, so I was able to focus entirely on picking without distractions.

When we used to sell hand-picked sencha, it attracted attention, and even leaves from the same cultivar would offer a different aroma compared to those from other fields, which made the experience unique and enjoyable.

As for picking technique, I tried to avoid taking the stems and instead focused on plucking just the tea leaves themselves. As a result, the bushes ended up looking like they had been grazed by deer!

We haven’t tasted the harvested tea yet, but I’m really looking forward to seeing how much the flavor differs from tea that’s harvested by machine.

Sencha Finishing Process (Misato T.)

At the end of May, we often receive questions from customers asking, “When will the new tea (sencha) go on sale?” However, just because the tea has been harvested doesn’t mean it can be sold right away. This is because tea generally requires a process called shitate-kakō (finishing process) before it is ready for sale.

Tea Requires Two Rounds of Processing

Tea, as a product, requires far more processing than typical agricultural crops before it’s ready for market. One of the reasons it’s difficult for new players to enter the tea industry is precisely because of the number of processing steps involved.

Primary Processing Starts Right After Harvest

Japanese tea must be processed quickly after harvest to prevent oxidation of the tea leaves. Typically, primary processing must begin within a few hours, or at most half a day, after harvesting (If there is a delay before processing, the leaves must be stored in special containers with constant airflow) because processing needs to happen immediately after harvest, completing this initial phase becomes part of the farmer’s responsibilities.

Life during the busy season for tea farmers is grueling. They harvest as much as possible early in the morning, and then spend the afternoon and evening—sometimes even through the night—completing the primary processing (During the peak harvest-processing period, many farmers lose weight rapidly due to lack of sleep).

Since it’s difficult for one household to handle everything alone, some farmers work together to operate shared processing facilities, improving efficiency through collaboration.

What Is “Aracha”? → Tea After Primary Processing

Tea leaves that have completed primary processing are called “arachá” (literally, "crude tea"). Farmers usually sell this arachá at tea markets to tea wholesalers.

Secondary Processing (Shitate-kakō)

From arachá, the next step involves removing unnecessary parts such as stems, old leaves, and powder in order to produce the final product. This process is known as secondary processing, or shitate-kakō, also called shiage-kakō or seicha (tea finishing).

Since doing this manually would take a huge amount of time, specialized machinery is required. For individual farmers, purchasing such machines represents a large investment and is often inefficient. Therefore, tea wholesalers typically own the machines for secondary processing and handle this stage after buying the arachá from farmers.

What Kind of Tea Requires Secondary Processing?

In particular, tea grown using covered cultivation (kabuse-cha) requires secondary processing. That’s because covered cultivation encourages stem growth, and in the arachá state, the tea contains too many stems, making it difficult to enjoy the true flavor of the tea.

From experience, I can say that sencha or tencha that has been covered for more than two weeks cannot be sold as a final product without secondary processing. On the other hand, open-field cultivated sencha (non-covered) can often be enjoyed as-is, even in its arachá state. In fact, some people prefer arachá because of its fresh, natural aroma that is unique to unrefined tea.

Secondary Processing of Sencha

Let’s take a closer look at the secondary processing steps for sencha. The main processes are sorting and drying.

Sorting

Using cutting machines and sieves, the leaves are sorted by size, and lightweight leaves are removed using air flow. Stems are removed using static electricity and color sorting machines. Through this process, the arachá is separated into two categories: “homcha” (main tea) and “demono” (by products).

The homcha is sold as sencha after sorting. The demono consists of parts unnecessary for the final product, such as stems, overly large leaves, and powder. But these are not thrown away—they are used in various ways, depending on the company.

For example:

• Stems can be collected and sold as kukicha (stem tea, also called karigane).
• Stems can also be roasted and sold as hojicha.
• Large leaves of good quality can be cut and mixed back into homcha.
• Lower-quality large leaves may be blended into bancha or genmaicha.
• Powder can be sold as konacha (the tea served in sushi restaurants), or used in tea bags.

Drying and Roasting

Drying the sorted tea further reduces its moisture content, making it better suited for long-term storage. While arachá typically contains about 5% moisture, secondary drying brings this down to around 3–4%.

Depending on the drying method, a distinct roasted aroma known as hi-ka can also be added. Some customers prefer tea with a strong hi-ka, and in some cases, it enhances the flavor of the tea depending on its original quality. There are so many steps involved before tea can be sold! Next time, I’ll explain the processing of tencha.

The First Flight of dmatcha` Drone (S. Mahdaria)

We had been planning to get a drone since last year to capture the beauty of our farms and the art of d:matcha’s tea cultivation. But with so many things happening at d:matcha, the idea kept getting pushed aside and almost forgotten. I didn’t want to miss important moments—like harvesting—without documenting them, so I was really looking forward to finally making it happen!

Once Daiki got the drone for me, I tried it out—nervously! Even though I’m familiar with cameras, photography, and videography, this was my very first time flying a drone. I couldn’t help but remember the time I traveled to Raja Ampat in Indonesia and we lost a drone mid-air due to strong winds. We forgot to activate the “return home” function, and... well, that was the end of it! Ever since then, I’ve been a little anxious about flying drones. So this time, I made sure to go slow and get comfortable before doing anything too risky.

But—I did it!! My first flight was a success! It flew and landed safely, and I was absolutely ecstatic! I’m so proud of myself for overcoming that fear.

The first footage I captured was of our baby Hosyun and Komakage tea fields by the river, just behind d:matcha. We didn’t have a proper memory card yet, so the video quality was a bit low. The next day, I borrowed a memory card from my GoPro and tried flying the drone over another farm near the main road in Yubune. That location was tricky—cars passing by and lots of overhead power lines made it a risky spot!

A few days later, we finally got the correct memory card for the drone. And just in time—we were harvesting the stunning Yabukita tea field right behind d:matcha. It turned out to be another successful flight with beautiful footage! I was so happy and felt really content. I’m starting to feel much more confident flying the drone now, although I definitely still need more practice to get smooth, professional shots.

For now, please enjoy some of the footage I’ve captured so far—I hope it brings you as much joy as it brought me while filming it!