Japan boasts a national tea competition with over 50 years of history. In this competition, tea leaves that grow straight and needle-like are highly prized. It’s intriguing that a beverage like tea is evaluated based on the shape of its leaves.
The Origins of Traditional Tea Evaluation
The reason behind these unique evaluation criteria lies in the competition’s original purpose: to produce tea that is easy to export overseas. In the past, during trade, the shape and color of tea leaves determined their price. Understanding this historical context helps make sense of the seemingly unusual standards. While these criteria might seem strange today, they were perfectly logical for their intended purpose at the time.
The Japan Tea Award: Celebrating Taste Over Tradition
Challenging these old standards, the Japan Tea Award was established by individuals who questioned the traditional evaluation methods. Founded in 2014, the award celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The Japan Tea Award focuses on three main criteria: taste, aroma, and color of the tea liquid. Unlike traditional competitions, the Japan Tea Award evaluates tea based solely on its flavor when brewed, disregarding the appearance of the leaves. After all, tea is meant to be enjoyed as a drink, so the best-tasting teas are the ones that win.
The initiator of the Japan Tea Award was Masamitsu Takau, a close friend of our tea master, Hideki Kuwahara. Sadly, Takau passed away in 2021. Hideki Kuwahara has served as the chairman of the executive committee for the past ten years, playing a crucial role in the award’s success.
Insights from Hideki Kuwahara
During a closing ceremony one year, Hideki Kuwahara shared his thoughts:
“The teas that win are all very close in quality, often differing by just one or half a point. It’s hard to predict which tea will win each year because the margins are so slim. However, you’ll often see familiar names from the first edition. The producers are putting in incredible effort. Additionally, we continuously refine and experiment with the award each year. Our goal is to bring Japanese tea to more people, and we will keep challenging ourselves in the years to come.”
Celebrating the 2024 Winners
Recently, the winners for 2024 were announced, and a tea party is scheduled to take place in Tokyo next week. If you’re nearby, we invite you to join us and celebrate the finest Japanese teas.
You can also explore past winners on our website, providing a great opportunity to discover new and exceptional teas. Japan Tea Award 2024
The Future of Matcha in the Japan Tea Award
Previously, there was a matcha category in the Japan Tea Award for two years, but it is no longer held. Given the rising popularity of matcha internationally, we hope to see the matcha category revived in the future.
For more information, please visit the Japan Tea Award Official Website.
