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Japan auction record – lucky number
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Saemidori green tea drew the auction record price.
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Fuji-Izu Japan Agricultural Cooperative members celebrate the winning bid.
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The inaugural 2022 auction at the Shizuoka Japan Tea Market set a record for hand-rolled green tea at $15,500 per kilo.
The inaugural 2022 auction at the Shizuoka Japan Tea Market set a record for hand-rolled green tea at $15,500 per kilo.
In April, a kilo of hand-rolled Saemidori green tea from Shizuoka, Japan, brought a record JPY1.96 million at auction. The sum, about $15,466, was nearly double the previous record of JPY1.08 million yen ($8,500) set in 2021, according to the Kyodo News.
The first lot was listed at JPY888,000 above the previous record to open bidding and guarantee a record sale. The tea was grown by the recently established Fuji-Izu Japan Agricultural Cooperatives, a merger of eight tea cooperatives in Fujinomiya in the eastern part of the prefecture.
Principles at the coop chose the numerical sequence 888 for good luck as it represents the farms and 88 nights (the number of nights after risshun, that marks the traditional start of tea plucking in Japan). The buyer was Fujinomiya Fjujisan Seicha Co.
A spokesperson for the cooperative said this year’s cool spring weather was ideal for the Samidori cultivar. “These leaves grew under favorable weather conditions; they look and taste better than last year’s tea,” he said.
Fujinomiya representative Takashi Doi said, “The fragrance is strong, and the color and shape are good.”
The Saemidori Cultivar originated in the Kyushu region in southern Japan. It is a cross between Asatsuyu and Yabukita first bred in 1969 and registered in 1990. It is an early budding tea, susceptible to frost, that produces a bright, clear green liquor. Saemidori translates into English as “clear green.” The tea has a higher concentration of amino acids than the more commonly planted Yabukita cultivar. It is used to make sencha, fukamushicha, and gyokuro.
Trading volume at the inaugural 2022 Shizuoka Japan Tea Market auction was moderate at 1,732 kilos; about half as much tea was sold compared to last year. Bids average JPY5,027 yen per kilo (about $40 per kilo in US dollars). The highest price paid for a machine-finished tea at auction is JPY88,888 per kilo.
Japan is experiencing a good spring harvest as cooler weather improves quality. Late April is the peak of the season for hand-rolled green teas. Teas from Kagoshima and some Okinawa teas were also auctioned at good prices.