Tenka-ichi Sencha is a Japanese green tea from Uogashi Meicha, a tea house based in Tokyo. It belongs to the sencha category, and its name, Tenka-ichi, can be translated as “the best in the world,” expressing the brand’s commitment to continually refining the quality of this tea.
It is made from tea leaves grown outdoors in direct sunlight, without shading. After harvesting, the leaves are steamed, then rolled and dried, with final blending shaping the desired flavor. Uogashi Meicha selects leaves with pronounced umami for Tenka-ichi, while cultivation in sunlight contributes to a strong aroma and moderate astringency.
It is characterized by a deep umami flavor, alongside the aromatic intensity and moderate astringency typical of the house’s sencha teas.
Producer
Uogashi Meicha is a Japanese tea house based in Tokyo, founded in 1931 by Tadashi Tsuchiya. It specializes in producing, blending, and selling Japanese teas, with longstanding ties to Tokyo’s Tsukiji district and a production facility in Shimada, Shizuoka Prefecture.
An important part of its history is the development and popularization of fukamushi tea, a green tea processed through prolonged steaming. After World War II, Tsuchiya met Heizaburō Yamamoto, a pioneer of this method, in Shizuoka and worked with him to refine it. Their tea was subsequently introduced to customers in Tsukiji. Uogashi Meicha continues this approach today, combining thorough steaming with a final heat treatment, while the yellow to golden color of the brewed tea remains a distinctive feature of the house’s identity.
Particular attention is paid to leaf selection and aromatic character. The company primarily sources tea from plantations harvested once a year, using cultivation methods that encourage stronger branches and thicker leaves. These leaves can withstand varying degrees of final heating, allowing the distinctive aromas of individual blends to develop. The house owns tea plantations, collaborates with growers, and blends its teas in-house, seeking to preserve the individual character of the leaves.
Looking ahead, Uogashi Meicha aims to strengthen its overseas business and potentially open its own stores outside Japan, while preserving its distinctive approach to tea production.