History

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Established in 1946, Hoshino Tea is nestled in the mountains of southern Fukuoka. Along clear rivers and lush forests, the tea is known by the brand name “Yame Tea” of Fukuoka. With 26 tea awards to date, “Yame Tea” has established a reputation that is second to none.

Hoshino Tea Gardens is well known throughout Japan as a tea-production area with verdant tea fields. The tea fields stretching out endlessly have beautiful rural structures in which tea fields are stacked over one another diagonally using stones for support. 

Hoshino tea gardens, a first-rate green tea grown in the mountains where the morning mist and the temperature change between morning and night, give it an unforgettable flavor. 

Each tea variety has its own characteristics, and drinking it at the best temperature, in the proper size cup, at just the right time, enables the distinctive aroma and flavor to be savored to the fullest. 

Rediscover tea delights by brewing ordinary tea and then brewing up a relaxed cup of Yame green tea and see for yourself how enjoyable it is. The best time to drink tea? In Japan, it’s the beverage of choice to wake up to in the morning, drink after meals, or at work.

The tea can be drunk using a special method called Shizuku-cha, where a covered teacup is tilted to one side, letting out its tea drop by drop and allowing the drinker to savor its smell and taste little by little. 

Hoshino village, known as the “star field,” is where many Japanese visitors go to relax and spend a night gazing at the stars from a mountain top, surrounded by dark greenery and clean mountain air. Yame tea is also known throughout Japan at many local tea houses (most notably at the Tea Culture Centre). 

The tea is grown in areas with a large temperature differential, and the most renowned plantations in Fukuoka are in Yame. The tea plantations are located in the basins of the Yabe and Hoshino Rivers. It is the national drink that is an essential part of Japan’s food culture. 

Hoshino Tea Garden is also a major grower and producer of Gyokuro, another recognized variety of premier quality tea.

Fukuoka is the main production region for Gyokuro tea in Japan, accounting for half the volume nationwide. Both the Yame Sencha and the Gyokuro are known for their rich flavor, with little bitterness or astringency. 

The tea is harvested from the end of April to the beginning of May. Many Japanese associates the tea’s color and aroma with the advent of summer.

Hoshino Tea is a high-quality green tea produced within the Hoshino Tea Gardens, running alongside the main river at Hoshino village in Yame. 

Green tea comes in many different forms (Genmaicha) roasted brown rice and powder green tea, (Matcha) refined powder, (Sencha) loose leaf, and (Gyokuro) shade grew.