Common Name: Oku Midori
Origin: Japan Other Names: おくみどり
Oku Midori Cultivar
The Okumidori cultivar has leaves with an elliptical shape similar to Yabukita, but a bit smaller.
Although intended for Sencha, it is now also being used for Matcha and Gyokuro. It’s a late-budding cultivar, taking about a week longer than Yabukita before it can be harvested. The advantage of this is that Okumidori can resist frost that happens at the beginning of spring.
HISTORICAL RECORDS
Okumidori was developed in Shizuoka prefecture, Japan. It is a hybrid between Yabukita and a native tea cultivar tree called “Shizuoka Zairai #16″ (静岡在来16号). In 1974, it was registered as tea cultivar #32. It makes a high-quality Sencha and the yield at harvest is very good, much like Yabukita.
ACQUIRED TASTE
When made into Sencha, it is of light, mellow taste, astringency isn’t high and the fragrance is sweet and refreshing. The liquid’s color tends towards pure green. In other words, the yellow hue isn’t so strong. Gets better with each additional brew and can be enjoyed both hot and cold. Our hybrid Oku Midori comes from Kagoshima Preficture, Japan.
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