The National Cha Hinpyoukai
The 70th National Tea Competition of Japan Results (2016)
These are the results of The 70th National Tea Competition of Japan held in 2016.
The event took place at Suzuka City, Mie during the dates of August 23rd to 26th, 2016.
As a result of the competition, the following awards were given out.
Individual Awards
- Minister of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries Award - 8 winners
- Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries Secretary Award - 12 winners
- Japan Tea Central Public Interest Incorporated Association Chairman Award - 8 winners
- Japanese Association of Tea Production Award - 8 winners
- National Tea Commerce and Industry's Association Award - 8 winners
Group Awards
- Area Award 1st Place - 8 winners
- Area Award 2nd Place - 8 winners
- Area Award 3rd Place - 8 winners
The National Tea Competition of Japan is the most prestigious competition for Japanese green tea. Learn more about this competition here.
Below we will introduce the Area of the winners of each category. For the individual awards, the actual names of the winners are also announced. However, since the proper instruction on how to read the names are absent, I have left it out and instead decided to only introduce the Areas of the winners. If you would like to know the actual winners, please refer to the resource at the end of the page. (Japanese)
Results
Minister of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries Award - 8 winners
| Category | Winner Area | Related Area Brands |
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Kirishima City, Kagoshima |
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Shizuoka City, Shizuoka |
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Kakegawa City, Shizuoka |
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Maizuru City, Kyoto |
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Yame City, Fukuoka |
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Tencha (Matcha) |
Uji City, Kyoto |
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Mushisei-Tamaryokucha |
Koyugun, Shintomicho Town |
- |
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Gokasecho Town, Miyazaki |
- |
Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries Secretary Award - 12 winners
| Category | Winner Area | Related Area Branda |
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Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka |
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Shizuoka City, Shizuoka
*2 winners in Shizuoka City for this category |
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Shizuoka City, Shizuoka
*2 winners in Shizuoka City for this category |
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Kakegawa City, Shizuoka
*2 winners in Kakegawa City for this category |
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Kakegawa City, Shizuoka
*2 winners in Kakegawa City for this category |
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Maizuru City, Kyoto |
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Kyotanabe City, Kyoto |
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Yame City, Fukuoka |
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Tencha (Matcha) |
Jyouyou City, Kyoto |
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Mushisei-Tamaryokucha |
Koyugun Shintomicho Town, Miyazaki |
- |
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Mushisei-Tamaryokucha |
Ureshino City, Saga |
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Nobeoka City, Miyazaki |
- |
Japan Tea Central Public Interest Incorporated Association Chairman Award - 8 winners
| Category | Winner Area | Related Area Brands |
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Miyakonojyou City, Miyazaki |
- |
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Kawanehonchou town, Shizuoka |
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Kakegawa City, Kakegawa |
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Maizuru City, Kyoto |
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Yame City, Fukuoka |
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Tencha (Matcha) |
Kyotanabe City, Kyoto |
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Mushisei-Tamaryokucha |
Saito City, Miyazaki |
- |
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Ureshino City, Saga |
Ureshino-cha |
Japanese Association of Tea Production Award - 8 winners
| Category | Winner Area | Related Area Brands |
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Chikugo City, Fukuoka |
- |
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Shizuoka City, Shizuoka |
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Omaezaki City, Shizuoka |
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Maizuru City, Kyoto |
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Yame City, Fukuoka |
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Tencha (Matcha) |
Uji City, Kyoto |
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Mushisei-Tamaryokucha |
Koyugun Takanabecho City, Miyazaki |
- |
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Nishiusukigun Hinokagecho Town, Miyazaki |
- |
National Tea Commerce and Industry's Association Award - 8 winners
| Category | Winner Area | Related Area Brands |
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Mushisei-Tamaryokucha |
Minamikyushu City, Kagoshima |
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Shizuoka City, Shizuoka |
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Kakegawa City, Shizuoka |
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Maizuru City, Kyoto |
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Yame City, Fukuoka |
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Tencha (Matcha) |
Uji City, Kyoto |
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Mushisei-Tamaryokucha |
Ureshino City, Saga |
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Gokasecho Town, Miyazaki |
- |
Area Awards
| Category | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place |
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Minamikyushu City, Kagoshima |
Kirishima City, Kagoshima |
Yame City, Fukuoka |
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Shizuoka City, Shizuoka |
Kawanehonchou town, Shizuoka |
Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka |
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Kakegawa City, Shizuoka |
Makinohara City, Shizuoka |
Fukuroi City, Shizuoka |
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Maizuru City, Kyoto |
Yotsukaichi City, Mie |
Suzuka City, Mie |
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Yame City, Fukuoka |
Kyotanabe City, Kyoto |
Fujieda City, Shizuoka |
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Tencha (Matcha) |
Uji City, Kyoto |
Jyouyou City, Kyoto |
Kyotanabe City, Kyoto |
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Mushisei-Tamaryokucha |
Ureshino City, Saga |
Higashisonogi-gun Higashisonogi town, Nagasaki |
Koyugun, Kawaminami Town, Miyazaki |
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Ureshino City, Saga |
Amakusa City, Kumamoto |
Nobeoka City, Miyazaki |
Summary by Chief Judge (Translation)
"
The 70th National Tea Competition was held between the 4 days of August 23rd to 26th of 2016. This was held at Suzuka City in Mie Prefecture of Japan. 20 Judges gathered around Japan to evaluate 848 products from across 18 prefectures, 7 tea types and 8 categories. The teas were carefully evaluated.
For this year's Ichibancha, the climate was relatively high between March and May all around Japan. Although the rainfall in March was low, the rainfall in April was high. Therefore there were no evident weather disasters and resulted in a earlier budding of the leaves. The speed of harvesting could not keep up with the fast growth of the buds, and therefore was a lower production of tea. However the quality was good and prices were higher than last year. The products in the contest were very good, and I would like to pay tribute to the passion, efforts, and high skills of the producers.
Below are the summaries of the result of each category.
Futsu-Sencha 10kg
96 items from 9 prefectures including Kagoshima, Shizuoka, and Miyazaki were evaluated.
This category is limited to machine picking. The high-ranking products were of both great external visual score and internal quality score, and displayed high precision in their processes. The middle-ranking products were relatively weak in umami, and the lower-ranking products showed some loss of freshness of the leaves. There was a large quality drop compared to the high-ranking products.
Futsu-Sencha 4kg
111 items from 16 prefectures including Shizuoka and Mie were evaluated.
The high-ranking products were both exceptional in external visual score and internal quality score. The middle-ranking products also had many products of high quality, however there was a gap in quality with the high-grade products. The lower-grade items had large differences compared to the high-grade products depending on the evaluation point.
Fukamushi-Sencha
119 items from 6 prefectures including Shizuoka, Mie, and Kagoshima were evaluated.
The high-ranking products showed the yellow-green luster and rich umami which are characteristics of the Fukamishi-sencha. Some of the lower products' steaming were slightly weak, however the quality difference between the high-ranking products were small. Overall the products were of high quality.
Kabuse-cha
105 items from across 8 prefectures including Kyoto and Mie were evaluated.
The high-ranking items saw many products of good quality which displayed an effective amount of shading. Down to the middle-ranked products, there were high quality products that had great freshness as well. The low-ranking products showed some insufficient shading from the sun. Here was a gap in the quality of the high-ranking and low-ranking products.
Gyokuro
107 items from 4 prefectures including Fukuoka, Kyoto and Shizuoka were evaluated.
The external visual score and the internal quality score of both the high-ranking and middle-ranking products were of high quality with a small difference in quality. The ooika, the ooiaji, and the umami were mixed in harmony for many of the products. Also, an overall high level of skill in maximizing the characteristics of the breed was demonstrated. The low-ranking products included items with insufficient shading.
Tencha
101 items from 6 prefectures, including Kyoto, Aichi, and Shizuoka were evaluated.
The high-ranking products to the middle-ranking products were of very good quality with good light leaf color from sufficient shading, strong ooika, and a rich umami. The low-ranking products showed items with weak ooika, and the need for better shading management was evident.
Mushisei-Tamaryokucha
110 items from 5 prefectures - Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima, and Miyazaki were evaluated.
From the high-ranking to middle-ranking products, there were many products which were difficult to rank due to the high quality of the contesting items. They inherit the fresh aroma and strong umami which are a characteristic of the Mushisei-Tamaryokucha. Especially the high-ranking products were exceptional products which displayed a great aroma of the fresh buds. The lower ranking products also only had a few deduction points, and the overall efforts of the area were evident.
Kamairi-cha
99 items from 5 prefectures including Miyazaki, Kumamoto, and Saga were evaluated.
The high-ranking products were of great quality and rounded well. They had the fresh young-bud aroma and the refreshing unique taste which are the characteristics of the Kamairi-cha. The middle-ranking products also were good quality tea showing clear tea water color. The lower tea had deductions, and there was a gap in quality as compared to the high and mid-ranking products.