What distinguishes the practice
A description of something people do now, compiled from published accounts rather than from practice.
Steaming rather than pan-firing as the standard fixation; deliberate shading before harvest for a substantial share of production; heavy mechanisation of both picking and processing; and a strong culture of cultivar selection, with Yabukita dominating planted area to an extent that shapes what Japanese green tea tastes like generally.
Blending as a normal step
A description of something people do now, compiled from published accounts rather than from practice.
Much Japanese tea reaching consumers is blended by a merchant from several producers' aracha to a house profile that stays consistent year to year. This is standard practice rather than a compromise, and it is why a single-farm Japanese tea is marketed as unusual.
Pressures worth stating without dramatising
TeaHQ's own reading of well-attested general knowledge, with no single source behind it.
The sector faces an ageing grower population, small average holdings and competition from cheaper imports for the low end. TeaHQ records this because it affects what is available and at what price, and states it as a general trend rather than quantifying it — the figures vary by source and have not been verified here.