Ritual · Chapter 01
Uji, Kyoto.
Every HULU BLAVK grade starts in Uji, Kyoto — the region that has supplied ceremonial tea since the 13th century. We do not source blends. Each tin traces to one field, one cultivar, one harvest.
Shading begins three weeks before harvest. Shade drives the leaf to produce more chlorophyll, more L-theanine, and less catechins — the chemistry behind ceremonial umami and quiet bitterness. The farmers we work with have kept this rhythm for four generations.
The fields.
Region
Uji, Kyoto prefecture
Villages
Wazuka · Ujitawara · select shaded plots
Cultivars
Yabukita · Okumidori · Samidori · reserve selections
Shade period
18–22 days pre-harvest · tana covering
Harvest
First flush · late April to mid-May
Processing
Steamed, air-dried into tencha leaf, graded by tea master
Spec sheet is partial — full origin detail per grade lives on each grade page.
Read the next chapter.
The stone-mill →