The Kanayamidori Tea Cultivar

Kanayamidori (かなやみどり) is a cultivar known for making a sencha with body and a milky aroma.

The use of this cultivar has been encouraged by tea research centers, so it’s quite possible that we may see more of it in the future.

History of Kanayamidori

In 1949, the Yabukita cultivar was crossed with a tea plant called Shizuoka zairai number 6 (静岡在来6号), which is also sometimes shortened as S6.

The best descendant was selected and it wasn’t until 1970 that it was registered as tea cultivar number 30.

Its name comes from Kanaya town in Shizuoka, which no longer exists because it was merged into the city of Shimada.

Characteristics of Kanayamidori

Kanayamidori can be harvested 4 days later than Yabukita.

While its leaves are slightly smaller than those of Yabukita, the yield at harvest is greater.

It has a strong cold resistance, and produces a high quality sencha.