Genmai Cha Background
Legend has it that during the 1400's an important samurai warlord in Hakone on the Izu Peninsula of Honshu Island (the Izu Peninsula is near the Shizuoka area) was having tea in the morning discussing a battle strategy with his patrol leaders. A servant by the name of Genamai was serving hot tea to the group. Leaning over to give tea to the warlord, rice that he had surreptitiously taken for a morning snack fell out of his pocket into the steaming hot tea. Some popped upon hitting the hot tea. The warlord was incensed, jumped up brandishing his samurai sword he promptly cut of Genamai's head in one fell swoop. He then sat down to continue the meeting. Despite the fact that the tea had been tarnished he drank it anyway. The flavor was very unique and he enjoyed it tremendously. In honor of poor Genamai he pronounced that this rice and tea be served every morning and be called 'Genmaicha' (cha being the name of 'tea' in Japanese)
The Sugimoto tea farms are located on verdant mountain slopes – a very important factor for producing high quality green tea leaves. The steep terrain means that farmers cannot use large harvesting machines. Tea Master Sugimoto educates the company's green tea farmers about the importance of soil preparation and the environmental impact of fertilization. Additionally, he looks for ways to improve the company's manufacturing systems and to assure product safety.