[? Doubts? ] We often receive questions in our product reviews, such as ``What products are pesticide-free but don't have the organic JAS mark?'', so I would like to give a simple explanation. First of all, organic does not mean pesticide-free. Organic JAS is a qualification given to foods that meet Organic JAS standards, and there are no pesticide-free regulations for Organic JAS. In fact, there are many organic JAS certified pesticides on the market. Many farmers grow tea according to strict organic standards, but almost 100% of farmers will reduce their income if they cultivate tea completely without pesticides. The reality is that we have no choice but to use certified organic pesticides. In addition, many of our customers have a sensitive sense of smell and taste to chemicals, and many of them cannot even drink organic tea, so we do not use certified organic pesticides or anything that can be labeled as pesticides, and we cultivate our products naturally, believing in the plant's inherent vitality, such as its tolerance. We try to deal with damage caused by pests and diseases using natural methods (for example, spraying diluted seawater, etc.) as much as possible, but damage caused by insects cannot be avoided! This leads to a decrease in revenue, production volume is unstable, and in terms of quality, we sometimes produce the same tea every year, sometimes not, which causes inconvenience to our customers. But there are good things too!
...Tea leaves that have suffered moderate feeding damage may improve their flavor through fermentation. (One example: Oriental Beauty of Chinese tea) Our "completely pesticide-free natural cultivation" is made up of both green tea and fermented tea. In addition, as a precaution, we conduct a pesticide residue test every year, and this year too, all 200 items were found to be ``no pesticide residues'', so you can enjoy our products with peace of mind. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who uses our service and the wonderful vitality of Yakushima's plants.
Drinking powdered green tea is a very logical way to ingest 100% tea leaves into your body. However, 100% of chemical substances such as residual pesticides are ingested, which accumulates in the body for many years and is said to be a cause of health damage of unknown cause. The raw material tea leaves must be natural tea, so at Yakushima Osaki Farm, which is certified as organic JAS, we do not use organic JAS certified pesticides or chemical fertilizers, nor do we use any artificial chemicals.We grow our tea using natural methods as much as possible in the great outdoors with zero scattered pesticides. Both spider webs and praying mantises play a role in tea making. As a precautionary measure, the results of residual pesticide testing conducted by the Tsukuba Analysis Center every year show that all 200 major pesticide components are detected (zero), so please enjoy our products with confidence.
-----[Reference]---- The national pesticide residue standards are based on tea consumed in a teapot, so powdered green tea that is 100% absorbed into the body is required to have zero pesticide residue. If you are interested, please search online for ``Japanese tea's residual pesticide standards are hundreds of times higher than other agricultural products.''
Tea leaves grown naturally. By covering the tea with cheesecloth (a black blackout net), the astringency is suppressed and the color of the tea leaves improves, but we do not intentionally use cheesecloth because it blocks sunlight and prevents the production of catechins, which are the components of the astringency. We do not use any nitrogen-based chemical fertilizers that improve the color of the tea leaves, so the light blue does not turn out to be a bright green. The taste is slightly astringent, rich in natural catechins. In order to avoid the clumps that are the fate of powdered green tea, it is ground slightly coarsely, so it does not dissolve like matcha.
Yakushima has been registered as a World Natural Heritage Site as an island with a rare ecosystem in the world, where humans have coexisted with a natural history that has continued since ancient times. Tea production in Yakushima is also a symbiosis between humans, plants, and insects. Depending on the year, the tea leaves may suffer severe damage due to insect damage, but a moderate amount of damage actually increases the catechin content of the tea leaves, creating an ideal environment for fermented teas such as black tea. (Reference: Yakushima Benifuki Black Tea) We are encouraged by the fact that Yakushima naturally cultivated tea, which is nurtured by the mysterious providence of nature and the harsh but blessed nature, is being enjoyed by people who are sensitive to chemicals.
Since it comes in a bottle, you can easily adjust the strength of the tea to suit your preference, and it is also convenient to carry.