Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/658240
STiR tea & coffee industry international 53 SALIM ARIA NOUSH (Ltd) Expertly Brings You The Best Of Iranian Teas and Herbals. ISO 9001:2008 Certificate. I ISO 10002:2004 Certificate. I HACCP Certificate. I HALAL Certificate. I info@ salimaria.com Tel : +98 21 5589 4000 I Fax : +98 21 555 900 15 visit salimaria.com Against the picture postcard back- ground of Mount Fuji and the Pacific Ocean, Japan's Shizuoka prefecture reso- nates with the beauty and peace that can only come from living and breathing tea. The prefecture is home to seven distinct growing regions with a range of topographic climates that offer distinct flavors and aromas. This region produces 43% of the total tea in Japan, with the clonal variety of Yabukita comprising 93% of the cultivars in the region. The journey of tea production begins in Shimada city where the broadleaf plant can be seen across the landscape. Shima- da is home to the Tea Museum and the Horai Bridge which marks the entrance into a region devoted to tea. At 2,950 feet (897 metres), the 137-year-old pedestrian wooden bridge leads from Shimada city to the hills of Makinohara. As the forest breaks away, the sunlight begins to dance upon the bright green foliage of thousands of tea plants. It is here, that tea producer Morihiko Yamamoto shares the story of not only his tea production but the variety of terrains and methods of grow- ing tea in the region. Serving as both a tea expert and philosopher, he muses about the elegance in the tea plant itself and how the particular flavor of the terrain is embraced. "The tea in the region is strong in umami," says Yamamoto. The broth-like, full sensation of umami in the mouth, still relatively new to North America, is sought out in Japan, explaining why umami-rich sencha remains the tea of choice. Tomonobu Sano's farm at the base of Mt. Fuji