Tea from a town most people have never heard of — the story behind our Japanese tea
If you ask a Japanese tea enthusiast about Ureshino, their face lights up. For everyone else, it's an unknown name.
Ureshino is a small spa town on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan. It is famous for its hot springs — and for its tea. Especially for tamaryokucha, a rare type of green tea whose production almost exclusively takes place here.
This is where we source our tea. We get it from a family-run business with a proud tradition and an uncompromising approach to quality — from cultivation to processing, everything is under strict control.
At Blomst&Bi, it's not about having a wide selection. It's about finding the right products from the right people.
In Japan, Ureshino accounts for the vast majority of all tamaryokucha production, a green tea that differs from sencha and other classic Japanese green teas by its characteristic round, curled leaves — hence the name, which directly translated means "round green tea". The shape arises because the leaves are rolled differently during processing, and it is not just an aesthetic choice: it gives the tea a distinct flavor profile.
Our tamaryokucha comes from a small tea producer who has been producing tea in Ureshino since 1947. They are specialists in this particular tea type and are one of the few producers who can supply it in certified organic quality.
The taste is fresh and lively with a natural sweetness, distinct umami, and a clean, long aftertaste. Far more complex than a standard green tea, but never heavy or bitter.
How to brew it: Use water at approx. 70–80°C — never boiling. Let the tea steep for 1–2 minutes. Tamaryokucha can advantageously be brewed 2–3 times with the same leaves, where the taste changes slightly with each infusion.
Storage: Airtight, dark, and cool.
Contents: 100% Japanese tamaryokucha (green tea) Origin: Ureshino, Saga, Japan
