Japanese Tea Cultivars Made Simple

Explore by cultivar collection, comparison chart, single origin or blend.
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Japan's benchmark cultivar, on 64% of its tea fields — vegetal and balanced, with clear umami.
Japan's second most planted cultivar and almost entirely a Kagoshima one — the backbone of the earliest shincha.
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Bred in Kagoshima for strong umami and almost no astringency, over a vividly green cup.
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Late-budding and deep green, with a quiet aroma and gentle sweetness — one of Uji's leading tencha cultivars.
Cold-hardy and high-yielding — concentrated in colour and flavour, with a pronounced astringency.
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Nicknamed “natural gyokuro” — sweet and umami-rich even without shading.
The one Japanese cultivar people describe as smelling of milk — out of fashion for decades, back in demand now.
High in amino acids and catechins at once, so sweetness and grip both show up clearly.
The cultivar behind Japan's very first tea of the year, picked on the southern islands from late March.
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An Uji classic with a distinctive aroma of its own, long prized for gyokuro and tencha.
An early Shizuoka seedling of Yabukita, now grown in very small quantities.
Uji's competition-grade tencha cultivar — demanding to grow, unmatched in the bowl.
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Registered in 1953 and now nearly gone from commercial fields — ours comes from Asamiya in Shiga.
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Registered in 2020 and still rare — bred in Miyazaki for a vivid first-flush green.
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Bred by NARO specifically for the shade: strong umami, low astringency, a vivid green cup.
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Pure & Unblended
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Single-Origin Terroir
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Small-Batch Harvest
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Authentic Japanese Craft
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What is a Cultivar

A cultivar is a tea plant variety bred or selected for particular qualities — how early it buds, how it stands up to cold, and above all how it tastes. Every tea on this page is Camellia sinensis, but Yabukita, Okumidori and Saemidori are as different from one another as two grape varieties in a vineyard. Growing region, shading and processing shape the final cup too, which is why we name the cultivar on every tea we sell.

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Meet Our Tea Cultivars

Compare typical cultivar profiles and where we source our teas. Flavour varies with growing region, shading, processing and brewing. National planting shares are Japan's own MAFF figures for 2025; where no national figure is published we say so.

 

Typical Taste & Aroma

Nio Sourcing Regions

Share of Japan’s Tea-Growing Area

Yabukita

Balanced umami with fresh green notes

Shizuoka, Chiran, Shibushi, Uji, Miyazaki & 7 more

64%

Yutaka Midori

Assertive alone; deep and umami-rich under shade and a deep steam

Chiran & Kagoshima

7%

Saemidori

Sweet, rich umami with a mellow finish

Shibushi, Kirishima, Yame, Takachiho & 6 more

6%

Okumidori

Fresh, mellow and smooth

Shibushi, Shizuoka, Wazuka, Kyoto, Uji & 3 more

4%

Sayamakaori

Concentrated colour and flavour with a strong fragrance

Shizuoka

2%

Asatsuyu

Naturally sweet, mellow and umami-rich

Chiran, Kagoshima & Shizuoka

About 1%

Kanayamidori

A milk-like, creamy aroma unlike any other Japanese cultivar

Chiran & Miyazaki

About 1%

Asanoka

Pronounced sweetness and pronounced astringency at once

Chiran & Kirishima

No published figure

Kuritawase

Light, clean and fresh, with a floral lift

Tanegashima & Yakushima

No published figure

Gokou

Strong savoury umami and a distinctive aroma

Shizuoka

No published figure

Surugawase

Crisp and clean, with moderate umami and astringency

Uji

No published figure

Asahi

Deep umami with a sweet, creamy finish

Uji, Kyoto

No published figure

Sayamamidori

Little documented; ours is herbal, fruity and nutty

Asamiya, Shiga

No published figure

Haruto 34

Vivid green with a fresh, floral first flush

Shibushi, Kagoshima

No published figure

Seimei

Rich umami with low bitterness and astringency

Shibushi, Kagoshima

No published figure

Single-Cultivar Tea vs. Blends

One highlights the character of a specific cultivar. The other combines teas to create a carefully balanced profile.
One Cultivar

Single Cultivar

Made from one named tea cultivar, allowing its distinctive taste, aroma, texture and finish to take center stage.

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Several Cultivars

Tea Blends

Selected lots are combined to balance qualities such as colour, aroma, umami and texture.

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Why Buy Your Tea from Nio Teas

No middlemen, no pesticides, no risk.
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Try it with confidence. If it isn’t right for you, contact us within 30 days.
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Every matcha is grown without pesticides, then personally tasted and selected by our team.
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About Us
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4.6

Excellent

Loved by Tea Drinkers Around the World

Our customers rate us 4.6/5 on Trustpilot, with countless reviews praising our tea, quality and service.

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5/5
Ugne
Nio teas has been my favourite place to purchase good quality teas for a while now, and still they never disappoint me. Their teas are excellent quality, however, I’d like to give more attention to customer service - Nio team has been very kind and helpful each time I had any sort of problem. Their customer service never disappoints, they are very attentive and quick in responding to any queries, hence why I’ve been a loyal customer for a while now.

Apr 1, 2026

5/5
Sean
My favorite vendor for Japanese organic loose leaf green teas. They are sourcing some of the best organic teas out of Japan and supporting family farmers and the growing organic tea industry as a whole. I have ordered from every vendor for years and Nio consistently has the best prices and selection overall. They provide top notch customer service and fast shipping as well. Highly recommended 🍃

Feb 3, 2026

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FAQ

Before you order

Shipping is free once your order passes the threshold for your country — USD 54.99 · EUR 54.99 · GBP 44.99 · CHF 49.99 · CAD 74.99 · DKK 399 · SEK 599 · PLN 229 · CZK 1,290. Everywhere else it's the equivalent of USD 54.99, converted automatically. Below the threshold a flat rate applies, always shown at checkout before you pay.

We ship from warehouses in the US, the EU and Japan — whichever is closest to you. US and EU orders arrive in 4–12 business days; the handful of countries served from Japan take around 10. Business days count from dispatch rather than from when you order, and exclude weekends and public holidays. You'll get a tracking number by email the moment your parcel leaves the warehouse.

We only buy from fields grown without pesticides or chemicals. We ask each farmer directly how they manage their land, visit the plantation and processing facility ourselves, taste every harvest before committing, and check that the biodiversity around the fields is alive. Small family farms don't always carry paperwork — so we verify it in person instead.

Japanese green tea covers an enormous range, and choosing online isn't easy. If you've tried yours and it isn't for you, email info@nioteas.com within 30 days with your order number and a line on what you didn't enjoy. We'll send a different tea of equal or lower value, free. Nothing to post back — keep it, share it, or try brewing it cooler. Once per order.

Email info@nioteas.com within 30 days with your order number and a photo. We'll approve it, cover the return postage with a prepaid label or a reimbursement, and refund you — no restocking fee. Refunds go to your original payment method within 2 business days of the return reaching us; your bank may take another 5–20 to show it.

Unopened items in their original packaging can be returned within 30 days. Tea is sealed for hygiene, so opened packs can't come back — but the swap above covers exactly that situation. Return postage is yours unless the item arrived damaged, defective or incorrect.

Orders to the US and EU ship domestically from our local warehouse, so there's no customs charge and no duty. A small number of destinations are served from our Japan warehouse, where your own customs authority may apply import duty, VAT or a carrier handling fee on delivery. Those are set by your country, not by us. Ask before you order and we'll help you check.

info@nioteas.com or +41 79 751 83 88. We reply within 2 business days, usually much sooner, in English.

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