About Natsumi Chatsumi
Our tea leaves, born and raised in the gods-dwelling mountains of Kumano, are grown using traditional methods. Sun-dried cauldron roasted tea (Kamairicha) from Kumano Hongu, a sacred place of world heritage. Locally called “bancha”, this tea has been a popular Hongu home staple for centuries. Unlike ordinary roasted tea, it is roasted twice and dried in the sun. When you drink it, you will feel a clean, clear gentleness and a fragrant aroma. When you need to resource yourself, a cup of this tea carrying the blessings of the holy land of Kumano will fill your heart with bliss.
Natsumi Chatsumi のこだわり
Born in Kumano, a World Heritage Site
Natsumi Chatsumi's tea is grown in Kumano Hongu, a sacred place located in the southern part of the Kii Peninsula, where the gods are said to reside. There, are the majestic mountains where the Kumano faith, born from the worship of nature, lives on. Our tea plantation spreads out on one of their peaks.
A mountaintop tea plantation, closest to the sky
Our tea leaves grow at the top of an open mountain with no obstructions. There, the sun shines brightly, and the clean and pure air spreads as far as the eye can see. The difference of temperature between day and night is high, and the climate, unique to the mountains, enhances the quality of tea leaves.
栽培について
「食べても大丈夫なお茶」を目指した無農薬
川湯温泉の麓から細い山道を登り切ると突然現れる茶畑。
約70年前に祖父母が開拓した茶園を私が継いだのは2018年のことです。
祖父母の茶畑と製法を守ると同時にこだわったのは「食べても大丈夫なお茶」を目指した無農薬にしています。肥料からの地産地消を考え、地元の牧場で育つ熊野牛の牛糞を肥料に茶木の栽培育成を行っています。当然病害虫も増え、見た目にも収量にも影響があります。それでも無農薬であることは譲れない私の信念です。
