Kanayamidori
かなやみどり · kanayamidori
Registered
1970
National Share
3%
Kanayamidori is a cultivar bred from S6 and Yabukita, registered in 1970 and named after the Kanaya district of Shizuoka Prefecture, home to the national tea research institute where it was developed. Its most captivating quality is a milky, confectionery-like sweetness in the aroma — a characteristic so distinctive that experienced tea tasters can identify Kanayamidori from fragrance alone. The flavor profile emphasizes sweetness over astringency, with a soft, rounded mouthfeel that makes it exceptionally approachable and popular with newcomers to Japanese green tea. When processed as fukamushi sencha, the liquor deepens to a rich green with enhanced body and a honeyed sweetness that lingers pleasantly. In recent years, Kanayamidori has also found a second life in wakocha production, where its natural sweetness translates into a honey-scented black tea that needs no sugar. With roughly 3% of national tea acreage, it is one of the most commercially successful cultivars to emerge from Japan's tea breeding programs.
Flavor Profile
Aggregated reference values from publicly available information.
Texture
silky
Finish
medium
Clarity
bright
Aroma Timeline
Recommended Brewing
Temperature
70°C
Water
70ml
Leaf
4g
Teaware
Kyusu (side-handle teapot)
Steep Time
The first steep extracts the deepest umami at a lower temperature. For subsequent steeps, you can raise the temperature slightly to bring out more astringency and body. Always pour out every last drop to avoid over-steeping the leaves.
Brewing Timer
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