Utougi is a high mountain village located in the Aoi Ward of Shizuoka. It is an area that produces very high quality sencha green tea and is famous for growing wasabi. The great temperature differences from night to daytime form fog from the flowing river valley streams that nourish Utougi's Hon Yama tea farms. This natural phenomenon results in the gentle yet deep taste and lasting floral aroma known as "Yamano Kaori." The luxurious and lasting Yamano Kaori (Yama Ka) fragrance indicates a high quality of high elevation grown sencha that can be classified as Hon Yama Sencha. The soft sweetness and umami of this hand-picked and light steamed sencha are balanced with an elegant astringency and complex aroma that is floral, herbaceous, slightly sweet and spicy. This tea is a rare treat and stood out amongst the two dozen small batches of Hon Yama Sencha we tasted this year.
