This year, I rented a car for a food trip in Fukuoka and revisited Hoshino Village for the new tea season. Unfortunately, there was no tasting of gyokuro as it was a weekday during Golden Week. The new building that was rebuilt in April looked beautiful and spacious. Inside, I enjoyed the usual green tea and sweets service. The new green tea had a rich taste with a balance of sweetness and astringency, leaving a savory flavor on the tongue and a refreshing sensation in the nose. It was definitely worth the visit. I love it so much. I ended up buying over 15,000 yen worth of souvenirs and new tea for myself.

A renowned tea plantation in Hoshino Village, Yame City, known for its Yame tea. They offer a variety of teas ranging from everyday use to the highest quality Hon Gyokuro, which is also entered in tea competitions. Visitors can enjoy complimentary tea and snacks inside the shop. In addition to the delicious teas, they also serve sweets like Matcha Daifuku. Their products make great souvenirs for loved ones.

June 2021. Daytime. Hoshino Satsuki: Around 1000 yen. Hoshino Matcha Powder Tea "Yame no Hana": Around 500 yen. Matcha Shaker: 77 yen. Probably from a tea plantation in Hoshino Village, Fukuoka Prefecture. It's quite far to go, but I went there while visiting Bamba Water Mill, a traditional Japanese incense maker. I wanted to drink matcha at home, but I don't know much about the tea ceremony. I found a good item, the "Matcha Shaker". I thought I could get it at a 100 yen shop, but it was even cheaper. I bought the cheapest matcha and tried it. It froths up nicely and tastes good. My favorite teas from Kyushu are Hoshino in Fukuoka, Chiran in Kagoshima, and Yame Kei in Oita. Yame Kei powder tea has been my favorite since I was a child. - Hoshino Satsuki (4.5): I tried it and liked it. It has an incredible umami flavor, similar to the umami of kelp or a lot of amino acids. It's youthful and sweet. It's probably because it's new tea. When I brew it at home, it's not as good. I think I need to pay more attention to enjoy it. - Hoshino Matcha Powder Tea "Yame no Hana" (4.0): For a complete beginner like me who drinks tea at home, this is more than enough. It has a sharp matcha-like aroma, bitterness, sweetness, and a refreshing finish. I might get addicted to it. Bamba Water Mill was the original destination. It's one of the only two water mills in Japan that make cedar powder. Actually, authentic traditional Japanese incense is also on the verge of extinction. When I was a child, incense was brown and had a nice cedar scent. But from the 1970s, it turned green and became a boring strong smell. They use some kind of foreign wood powder mixed with chemicals to make it smell strong. At Bamba Water Mill, they grind cedar leaves into powder using a water mill. I was surprised when I visited the water mill, a building from the Taisho era. The machine was broken due to water damage, but they have restored it. They used to only wholesale cedar powder, but in recent years, they started making their own incense. They dry cedar leaves with firewood, grind them with the water mill, and align the powder particles with wind power. The process is completed in an old hut, and even the waterway pulled by the water mill is self-made. There used to be around 120 similar businesses nearby, but now it seems like this is the only one left. The incense they make is of the highest quality, with only cedar powder and tab powder as ingredients. Oh, even mosquito coils use tab as a binder. It costs around 1300 yen for three bundles, which is very cheap. Such wisdom in not wasting cedar leaves. Is it okay for such wonderful incense to disappear? This should be the incense offered to ancestors. I will definitely visit again.

Yame tea, which has now gained recognition as a high-quality tea. I was impressed by the amazing taste of Gyokuro that I had at a store in Fukuoka before, which made me realize the high potential of Yame tea. This time, I tried the "Hoshino Seichaen's Matcha Mamemochi Kororo" (\410), which is a snack made with Yame tea. It is coated with Yame matcha on peanuts. The aroma of matcha is very elegant. It's a beautiful snack that makes you want to enjoy it with water, not as a side dish for alcohol. The balance between the texture of peanuts and the matcha coating is excellent. It's a famous confectionery that showcases the tea-producing region.

Hoshino Seichaen, located at 8136-1 Hoshino Village, Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Hoshino Village, nestled in the mountains of Oku-Yame, is known for producing high-quality Gyokuro tea, boasting the best quality in the country. Established in 1946, this tea processing plant upholds traditional methods to produce high-quality tea in the misty mountains of Yame. The village has a factory and a store, open from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, closed on New Year's Day. When visiting Yame, I decided to go all the way to Hoshino Village, the home of high-quality Gyokuro tea. Despite being in Yame City, Hoshino Village is located far from the city center, up a mountain road. Fukuoka Prefecture's tea industry dates back to 1191 when the monk Eisai, who studied in China (Song Dynasty), planted tea seeds on Mount Seizan. The history of Yame tea dates back to 1423. Today, tea is one of Fukuoka Prefecture's representative products. In 2015, the newly introduced national Geographical Indication Protection System registered "Yame Traditional Gyokuro" as one of the products. Gyokuro tea, especially the Yame Traditional Gyokuro, is meticulously produced using traditional cultivation methods and high-quality processing techniques passed down in the central mountainous regions of Yame. The production conditions for Yame Traditional Gyokuro include pruning the tea tree branches only once after harvesting, allowing the buds to grow naturally until autumn (natural cultivation), covering the tea trees with natural materials such as rice straw for 16 days or more (generally 20 days) (shelf covering), and carefully hand-picking the new buds (hand-picking). Fukuoka Prefecture's tea production is 1,780 tons, ranking 6th in the country after Shizuoka, Kagoshima, Mie, Miyazaki, and Kyoto. However, when it comes to high-quality tea like Gyokuro, Yame tea produces over 45 tons, exceeding 20%, making it the second-largest producer after Kyoto. Moreover, most of the hand-picked traditional Gyokuro comes from Yame tea. Yame Traditional Gyokuro cannot be labeled as such unless it meets the above conditions. After a long journey, I finally arrived at Hoshino Village. The shop is located on the same premises as the factory. The aroma of tea fills the air in front of the shop. They were offering a tasting event outside, which was a pleasant surprise. Inside the shop, despite its simple appearance, there was a wide variety of tea available. I found it! The Yame Traditional Gyokuro with the GI mark! Although it was expensive, I decided to buy it immediately. My excitement seemed to spread, as my family ended up buying souvenirs here. I purchased the award-winning tea, Yame Traditional Gyokuro, for 7,000 yen (excluding tax). It was the first place winner at the 74th National Tea Fair in the Gyokuro category. It comes in a box with two 5g bags. The brewing instructions were detailed, and I followed them precisely. The Gyokuro tea had a refreshing aroma, and the opened tea leaves were beautiful.

The other day, a home delivery package arrived. When I checked the name, it was from a matchmaker. We had just met this spring after a long time, and he sent us delicious tea. "Hoshino Village" in Okuyame is famous for producing high-quality Gyokuro tea, known as the best in the country. This tea is from a very famous shop in Hoshino Village. The tea received the Japan Tea Award 2016 for "Yame Traditional Hon Gyokuro (Rare)" and won the Japan Tea Award (Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award). I tried to check the price on the shop's website, but the name of the tea we received was not listed, so it may be a "hidden famous tea." Traditional Hon Gyokuro Seisui - New Tea is a beautiful green color. The small tea leaves were surprising! When hot water was poured in, the opened tea leaves turned brighter green than expected. It has a pleasant aroma and a mellow taste. After drinking the tea, the aroma and mellow feeling lingered in the mouth. Instructions for brewing the tea: 1. Pour hot water into a teapot for the number of people, and cool it to 50-60℃. 2. Put the tea leaves in the teapot (about 10g for 3 people). 3. Pour hot water from the teapot into the teacups and wait for about 2 minutes for the tea to steep. 4. Pour evenly and squeeze out the tea. The Sencha Hoshun - New Tea is still unopened. I plan to enjoy it after finishing the Gyokuro tea.

I heard the news that GW has started selling new tea, so I decided to buy some and drove to Hoshino Village. Hoshino Village is deep in the mountains, with terraced stone-built rice fields and tea fields covering the mountainside. It is a moving sight to think of the hardships and efforts of the ancestors who cleared the mountains and stacked the stones. In this environment created through hard work and the ingenuity of tea production, you can enjoy the finest tea. When I went to the shop, I was able to enjoy tasting the new tea and was served local dishes such as red rice balls, simmered konjac and bamboo shoots, and pickled radish. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures, but the freshly brewed green tea was sweet and fragrant, and the snacks were simple and delicious, making me very satisfied. I couldn't resist and ended up buying a lot of the new tea that can only be enjoyed at this time. As I was about to leave, I saw a tent outside the store where they were also holding a tasting event. When I asked, I found out that it was a tasting event for hand-rolled gyokuro tea. Hand-rolled gyokuro tea requires a lot of effort, time, and a large amount of tea leaves, as only 200g can be made from 4kg of tea leaves, and it takes four hours to hand-roll them while warming them with charcoal. This time, they invited the Japanese champion to roll the tea, and it is said that it is so costly and labor-intensive that it cannot be priced and is provided at the tasting event only for everyone to enjoy at this time. The taste was unlike anything I've ever experienced before, with an aromatic aroma and sweetness that felt like it condensed all the essence of the sun, air, earth, tea trees, and the blessings of nature, permeating my body from my mouth and washing me from the inside out. It was a truly wonderful experience, and I plan to come back again next year.

After visiting the hot springs, I decided to stop by a tea shop that I found through a sign. It was a bit hard to find as I passed it initially and had to spend 15 minutes to go back. The shop does not have a cafe, it is mainly for buying tea. It seemed to be quite popular as there were customers coming in one after another. I enjoyed a refreshing green tea, and later tried their matcha which was smooth and delicious. It tasted so creamy that I thought there was no sugar in the matcha latte. I wish I could have bought some to take home, even though I don't have a matcha set at home. They offer a variety of teas for home use, gifts, as well as tea canisters and tea utensils.

It is Hoshino Village in Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture, a famous production area for Yame tea. I went to buy some tea at the largest store in the area that manufactures and sells tea products. I visited the store at 10 a.m. on a weekday and the staff immediately offered me a tasting of sencha. They also provided complimentary milk chocolate and fresh chocolate. I tried the "Haru Honoka" sencha and found the first steep to be pleasantly sweet, while the second steep had a bit of bitterness that I liked, so I decided to purchase it. While choosing my items, they also offered me a taste of matcha, so I decided to buy some matcha-flavored fresh chocolate as well. They were also selling a popular product called "Chaloru" steamed buns, which I decided to buy as a souvenir for my neighbor's grandmother. Even though I ended up spending more than I planned, I was happy to see the joy on their faces. The crispy plum snack on the table was delicious, but unfortunately, it was not for sale. According to the staff, the matcha fresh chocolate had just the right amount of sweetness and melted in the mouth, while the Chaloru steamed buns were said to be even better than the popular matcha-flavored snacks from Hakata. Overall, with such great service and offerings, I felt compelled to make a purchase. The adjacent factory also offers group tours for visitors. The three female staff members were very friendly and provided excellent service, showing that they have received thorough employee training. They left a positive impression from early in the morning.

Star Teabags (5g 18 bags)・Premium Gyokuro ¥1620・Gold Sencha ¥1080・Premium Sencha ¥756

[Service] They offered a free tasting, which surprised me as I didn't know about it. The service was also very good. [Atmosphere] It is located in a natural and peaceful place. [Cost Performance] Since it was free, the cost performance is excellent. [Drink] The Star Dew Matcha is surprisingly sweet for matcha. The aftertaste has the unique flavor of matcha and is very delicious. I recommend it for matcha beginners to advanced enthusiasts. It was delicious! Thank you for the meal!

When I went to Yame, I bought two types of tea at another store. I really wanted to visit the shop, but it was quite far so I gave up. I tried the kabuse tea at the store and it was very affordable and delicious. Since I am the only one who likes tea at home, I bought this tea for myself. I don't know much about tea, but I really like it. At home, I enjoy both basic tea and a slightly higher quality tea. The kabuse tea I bought has a good aroma. The deep steamed tea has an even better aroma, I couldn't help but smell it multiple times when I opened the package (laughs). Of course, it was not only the aroma but also a delicious tea. Delicious tea tastes good even when it's cold, right? I would like to buy this tea again if I have the chance. Thank you for the meal.