Hatsumomiji

Hatsumomiji is a black tea cultivar registered in 1953 (Showa 28), developed as an Assam hybrid through artificial crossing. It has elegant fragrance and strong flavor with richness, producing excellent black tea quality. A mid-season high-yielding variety with extremely high yield and extremely strong tree vigor. Compared to Benihomare, it has better leaf shape uniformity, bright red but slightly light liquor color, strong astringency but refreshing with good aftertaste. Cold resistance is somewhat weak but disease resistance is strong with great regenerative capacity. Suitable for black tea production areas in warm regions of Kyushu, Shikoku, and Tokai-Kinki. Tree form is upright with vigorous secondary growth, making timing of initial pruning important.