01/06/2023
We drove a narrow winding road to a tiny settlement in the mountains today to taste grokuro grown by Saito-san, the farmer who reminded me of a Jedi from the Star Wars trilogy. I am not an expert or even a fan of the Star Wars (sorry folks, no offense). I barely know what a “Jedi” means but the force was very strong. Yeah, the force was with this man. I came home and even looked up the word, “Jedi” and now I'm pretty certain that I met one of them today. Saito-san has been growing tea organically for at least 50 years. He doesn't even use “organic fertilizer”. Everyone thought he was a nut 50 years ago, but he persevered. He is humble. There is not an ounce of arrogance. He has not stopped learning. He studies the surrounding environment and raises his voice. He is not afraid to be your enemy. Perhaps he's not interested in your small minded pettiness. Tea making is not a business for him. Tea making is his art. Tea is his child, and he is relentless in protecting the environment that nurtures his child. He has no interest in competitions but he is clearly the winner... putting everyone in awe. Here is a picture of him serving us a cup of gyokuro today. We will have his limited gyokuro and wakocha (Japanese black tea) in the lineup very soon.