Harvesting Japanese Tea
Tea Harvesting Methods
Harvesting is the critical final step in the field before tea processing begins. The method chosen directly impacts the quality, flavor, and purity of the final product. While modern technology has introduced incredible efficiency, traditional hand-picking remains the gold standard for competition-grade tea.
In regions like Wazuka, Kyoto, the steep and fragmented terrain dictates which methods are possible, making technical skill and physical strength essential to the harvest.
Harvesting Challenges
Purity & Selection
Hand-picking allows for the total avoidance of old leaves and debris, ensuring the highest possible quality for competition-grade teas.
Terrain Constraints
Wazuka's mountainous fields prevent the use of large ride-on machinery, requiring portable solutions and manual labor.
Labor Shortages
With an aging population, the shift toward mechanical harvesting is essential to maintain Japan's tea production volumes.
Methods of Harvesting
Hand-Picking (Te-zumi)
This method involves picking new tea shoots by hand. It produces the highest-quality tea but is also the least efficient method. Tea bushes are trained in a natural, unshaped form. Experienced workers selectively harvest only the new shoots, producing a leaf purity that machines cannot match.
Capacity: ~10kg per day. Extremely labor-intensive and reserved for the most premium spring harvests.
Two-Person Portable Machine
The most common method in Wazuka. Two operators guide an arch-shaped blade over neatly trimmed rows. It is 50 times more efficient than hand-picking.
Challenge: Requires high physical strength and skill to manage cutting depth on steep slopes to avoid collecting old leaves.
Ride-on Harvesting Machine
A single operator straddles the tea rows on caterpillar tracks. This provides the highest efficiency, harvesting up to 600kg per hour.
Constraint: Limited to gentle terrain to prevent tipping. Not suitable for mountainous regions or tea fields grown under traditional shading structures.
Technical Overview
| Feature | Hand-Picking | Portable Machine | Ride-on Machine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvest Speed | 10kg / Day | 120kg / Hour | 600kg / Hour |
| Best Terrain | Unrestricted | Steep / Mountains | Flat |
| Labor Needs | High (Experienced) | 2 People | 1 Person |
| Overall Quality | Best | Good | Good |
