Tea Making at Harano Seicha Honpo

At OKUYAME - CHAYA, we source our Japanese tea from Harano Seicha Honpo in Fukuoka Prefecture.

In this article, we take a closer look at how Harano Seicha Honpo cultivates, processes, and finishes its tea.

Harano Seicha Honpo produces tea in Mizuhara, Hirokawa-machi, Yame District, Fukuoka Prefecture.

Through its own processing methods, Harano Seicha Honpo brings out the rich flavor and aroma of tea leaves grown in the Oku-Yame region.

In addition to producing and selling Japanese tea and tea confections, Harano Seicha Honpo operates its own retail shop, Chanohado.

Exterior of the Chanohado store

Chanohado also works with local tea farmers in the Oku-Yame region to cultivate tea.

Contract growers care for the tea fields throughout the year, including improving the soil and protecting the tea plants from frost.

Harvesting tea leaves in the field

Once harvested, the tea leaves are transported to the aracha factory without delay.

The leaves are steamed to prevent oxidation, then rolled and further processed into aracha (crude tea), an initial processed form of Japanese tea.

At the aracha stage, different parts of the tea leaves are still mixed together.

The tea is then sifted, sorted, and fired as part of the finishing process.

Harano Seicha Honpo oversees the process from sourcing the tea leaves to processing and finishing them at its own factory.

Checking the condition of the tea leaves

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