About Champion Tea ("Tocha friend"continuation)
Starting in mid-April, 22 jin of tea from each farmer is picked and refined, and then brought to the agricultural association one after another, where it is inspected over a period of about two weeks.
That year, 3517 tea farmers from Lugu Township were selected. From among them, after repeated rigorous screening, one was awarded the Special Prize, followed by the Top Prize, Second Prize, and Third Prize. 56 were awarded the Top Prize, 201 the Second Prize, and 341 the Third Prize. The remaining were awarded Honorable Mentions, and were entitled to wear two or three Golden Plum Blossom stickers.
Because of the fierce competition, even winning the top rank, let alone the top prize, is a great honor. This is because it directly reflects on the value in the market. A champion tea usually sells for 100,000 yen per jin (600g), and even a head rank can go for around 50,000 yen per jin.
That year was the 13th Spring Tea Tasting, and of the 22 jin brought by the farmers, one jin was purchased by the Agricultural Association, which tested and ranked the tea. The jin was then packed into two 300g vacuum-sealed cans at the association's workshop, and placed in a paper box with a different design each year, sealed with the Agricultural Association's mark. This is apparently a measure to prevent imitation products, or counterfeits.
The precious, high-quality teas, now bearing the Farmers' Association's seal, will then be returned to the farmers, and after the results of the judging are announced at the Holiday Tea Market, or Temporary Tea Market, on Luzhang Road behind the Farmers' Association, starting on the morning of May 29th, they will finally be able to go on sale. On that day, tea traders from all over Taiwan, as well as Hong Kong and Singapore, tea lovers from all over the country, and tourists will apparently be descending on the not-so-large town of Lugu in droves of cars and buses.
"This year, tea from 781 farmers was eliminated," says General Secretary Hayashi. From the first four sensory tests, tea that was too bitter, had a grassy smell, was too burnt, or had an unsightly appearance was not given the association's quality guarantee. This was a very strict evaluation.
"What do you use as points for scoring?"
"First, the aroma and flavor. This is judged in the following proportions: aroma 20%, flavor 40%, appearance 30%, and color 10%. Then, using these two vessels, if you find one that you think is good, place the cup with the handle on the top of the tea bowl containing the brewed tea. Then, move clockwise until it gradually reaches a lower point."
"The things that have been eliminated"
"Turn the lid inside out"
"That's harsh."
"Technology is improving every year, but it's still no good."
"And to ensure fairness, every tea is numbered," says Zhang.
"Oh, so that's why there's some kind of number on the agricultural association envelope."
"That's right, you've had some great tea before," says Hayashi.
"The area where my parents were born and raised, the foot of Mount Suzuka in Shiga Prefecture, is a tea producing region known as Omi tea, and I've often seen the scenery with tea fields since I was a child."
Nowadays, it is a producer of bancha tea, which is not particularly high-end, but one day, while researching my ancestors, I read that one of the Matsuyama family's ancestors went to Kyoto to get some tea seedlings and planted them on the mountainside of Tsuchiyama.
"So I've loved the sight of tea fields and the smell of tea production since I was little."
As we talked, I was reminded of the nostalgic tea fields with the Suzuka Mountains in the background.
"We also have a painting of my ancestor that has been passed down through generations in our family. The man has a topknot, so he must have lived in the Edo period. He is depicted with sencha tea utensils, so it seems he was a fairly cultured ancestor. I can't help but think that my love of tea has a long history behind it."
