rdwyer@fastmail.com · all

🍵 Yunomi.Club News 🍵 Monthly Pick— Azuma Tea Garden: A Family Tradition in Wazuka

Wed Sep 09, 2026 · 10:05 AM EDT

From: "Yunomi.life" <ocha@yunomi.life>
To: rdwyer@fastmail.com

Discover 150+ years of tea farming, the people behind Azuma, and three unique hojicha to explore this September.

͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Meet Azuma Tea Garden: Generations of Tea from the Mountains of Wazuka

Tucked away in the mountains of Wazuka, Kyoto, Azuma Tea Garden has been growing tea for more than 150 years.

Founded in 1868, the family farm began by producing sencha that was hand-picked and hand-rolled. As the farm grew and new technologies became available, each generation continued to refine its approach to tea production.

Today, the farm is led by fourth- and fifth-generation members of the Azuma family, with a particular focus on tencha—the tea leaf used to make matcha.

But Azuma Tea Garden is more than a matcha farm. Their fields produce an unusually wide range of teas, from sencha and wakocha to hojicha, kamairicha, white tea, and oolong tea.

A Family Farm Embracing Change

One of the most interesting parts of Azuma Tea Garden's story is its move toward organic cultivation.

The fourth generation shifted the farm's focus toward tencha production while also beginning the transition to organic farming. Today, Azuma Tea Garden does not use pesticides on any of its fields and is working toward having all of its fields certified organic.

This commitment also extends beyond their own fields. Teruko Azuma has been helping nearby farmers as they make the transition toward organic cultivation.

For a farm with such a long history, organic cultivation represents not simply a return to the past, but an ongoing effort to find a better way forward.

The fifth generation is also becoming part of the farm's future, with Teruko’s son Taira working alongside his father and learning tea cultivation and processing.

Meet Teruko Azuma

Teruko Azuma is now one of the recognizable faces of the farm.

Originally from China, Teruko met her husband while visiting Wazuka. After they married, she joined the family farm and began working in the tea fields.

She has now been farming tea at Azuma Tea Garden for nearly two decades, developing extensive experience in both tea cultivation and processing. She also became a certified Japanese Tea Instructor, further deepening her knowledge of Japanese tea.

Today, Teruko helps produce and promote Azuma's teas, while also supporting neighboring farmers who are making the transition toward organic cultivation.

Her story is also a reminder that Japanese tea is not simply a tradition passed down unchanged. It is shaped by the people who grow it, their experiences, and the choices they make for the future.

From right: Teruko Azuma and Ian Chun, CEO of Yunomi.life

Discover Wazuka

Azuma Tea Garden is located in the mountains of Wazuka, Kyoto, one of the main production regions of Uji tea.

Tea has been grown in Wazuka for more than 800 years. Surrounded by mountains, clean rivers, fresh air, and rich soil, the region provides an ideal environment for growing tea.

The Azuma family's fields are in a particularly remote part of Wazuka, away from train lines and major roads. Here, tea fields stretch across the mountain landscape, creating the scenery of seemingly endless green fields.

This beautiful tea-growing landscape has been designated as one of Kyoto's cultural landscapes.

It is a fitting home for a family whose history has been intertwined with tea and the land for generations.

Ways to Enjoy Azuma’s Hojicha

This month, we're featuring hojicha, and Azuma Tea Garden offers a particularly interesting way to explore this roasted Japanese tea.

Because Azuma specializes in tencha—the tea leaf traditionally used to make matcha—they also roast tencha to create their own distinctive hojicha.

Roasted Tencha Hojicha is made from unrefined tencha leaves, including their natural stems and other parts of the leaf. Unlike hojicha made from rolled sencha or bancha, this tea starts with shaded tencha before being roasted. The result is a light-bodied tea with a fragrant, toasty character.

Roasted Tencha Hojicha Powder takes the idea in a different direction. Made from the larger leaves and stems separated from spring-harvested tencha, the tea is roasted and then finely ground into a powder. It has deep, dry, smoky notes reminiscent of Kyobancha, and is especially versatile for hojicha lattes and recipes.

Kuki Hojicha is made from roasted tea stems rather than the leaves. Also known as stem hojicha, it offers another expression of roasted Japanese tea, with a lighter, fragrant character that comes from using the stems.

Together, these teas show how much variety there can be within hojicha—and how the same farm can transform different parts of the tea plant into completely different drinking experiences.

Whether you enjoy hojicha as a simple cup of tea, a latte, or an ingredient, Azuma's roasted teas are a great way to discover a different side of a farm best known for its tencha and matcha.

#0105.K6 Azuma Tea Garden: Roasted Tencha Hojicha 碾茶炒りほうじ茶

#0104.K6 Azuma Tea Garden: Roasted Tencha Hojicha Powder

#0103.K6 Azuma Tea Garden: Roasted Green Tea Stems, Kukihojicha

Beyond Hojicha: Explore Azuma’s Teas

Hojicha is just one part of what Azuma Tea Garden produces.

For matcha: Explore their range of matcha, including single-cultivar teas such as Okumidori, Asahi, Kanaya Midori, and Samidori. If you want to explore a variety of matcha, their 10-cultivar comparison sampler lets you taste ten different cultivars from the same farm side by side.

For everyday tea: Their sencha, kukicha, and genmaicha offer approachable ways to enjoy tea from the same family farm.

For something different: Azuma also produces wakocha, kamairicha, white tea, and single-cultivar Kyoto oolong teas, showing just how versatile the farm's tea production can be.

From a family farm established in 1868 to new approaches to organic cultivation and experimental styles of tea, Azuma Tea Garden is a wonderful example of how Japanese tea can honor its history while continuing to evolve.

Explore all Azuma Tea Garden teas