Fertilizing and black tea. Wakoucha Tasting, Tea N°7, Benifuki, Nara, 2018, The Tea Crane

Lots of the samples I tasted mentioned that they come from organic gardening. There is a very good reason for this. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides were as popular in Japan as in other parts of the world. Japan has a similar history of reaction to this, with farmers becoming ill themselves and turning away from them, and then tasting and seeing the difference between the two methods. The popularity of organic farming is obvious and growing, as in Europe, but for Wakoucha there are some additional elements.

Fertilizing is very popular amongst the big producers of green tea in the lower areas. It increases production and often increases the sweetness sought after by many drinkers. When farmers started to make black tea they found out that heavily fertilized tea harvests were behaving oddly in the wilting and oxydation process, proving a lot more difficult to achieve good results. Tea gardens for black tea also tended to be situated higher, where some of the main factors for their aroma's are available: lots of water (fog) but with good drainage, strong differences between night and day and often richer soil with more clay, making fertilization unnecessary. Pesticides were easily banned because the colder environment made insects less a problem and some insects even proved to be a blessing, making the teas sweeter, like in the Taiwanese 'grasshopper' teas.

The Iwata family works organically since 1984 and the current owner, Fumiaka Iwata, has continued this. The gardens on the higher parts of the hill are never fertilized, the lower ones only receive forest material, never artificial fertilizer and not even animal waste as this influences the taste too strongly. The Benifuki plants for this tea were planted in 2005 and come from three gardens: the Iguchi Yama garden (20a at a height of 230m above sea level, a mixture of sand and clay and surrounded by forrest), the Yama no shita danchi garden (5a, 250m above sea level, strongly sloped, south oriented) and the Miyayama garden (8a, 300m above sea level, southeast oriented and strongly sloped, red clay, on top of the mountain). For the production of the teas they have a small unit on the farm so the freshly plucked tea does not have to travel.

Fumiaki Iwata in one of his teagardens

https://www.facebook.com/fumiaki.iwata.3

Benifuki, Nara, 2018, The Tea Crane: 

Harvested 17-18 May 2018 at Tsukigasé in Nara. Tasted the 3rd of August, 2019, variable summer weather, a fruit day. 3 gram, 150ml, 2 mins, 98°C, in a kyusu.
The wet leaves have a strong sweet undertone, not unlike the benihomare, but here with more wood, and the complex smells of a working kitchen. The majority of leaves is brown, with a few dark green ones. Nice and clear smelling infusion, with fruit jam and some spiciness. The mouthfeel is delicate and clear with a touch of astringency, but very light. The finish is long and rich, not unlike good Darjeeling, but with a very typical Wakoucha impression that makes it different. A very well-blanced tea.
A second steeping with the same parameters brought formward a very nice smell, with tropical woods and a very soft and nice taste, absolutely worth the trouble. The third brew was still very pleasant.
😊😊😊(😊) or 😊😊😊😊, I had mood swings with this tea...