His father, Kiyotaka, is the third son of the fifth generation of Nakamura Fujiyoshi Honten, a long-established tea wholesaler established in 1854, and grew up in a family with ties to Uji tea.

Somewhere along the way, his desire to learn from the soil grew, and he became an apprentice to a tea farmer in Kagoshima who followed organic farming methods. There, he realized that each tea has its own unique story and charm. A day at the farm starts with tea making, which involves rubbing the tea leaves and gradually drying them. My colleagues tell me how I can do such a time-consuming job, making the tea leaves for that day's use on the same day (laughs). (Laughs) But I don't mind if I can show them the charm of each variety and each tea plantation. The tea is fresh, yet has a strong flavor, and its mild taste penetrates the body easily.

The store stocks about 10 varieties of tea leaves directly from tea farmers in Kyoto, Kagoshima, and other regions. The store sells a wide variety of tea leaves, including freshly rubbed ones, so you can find the tea leaves you like while listening to Nakamura-san's passionate tea talk.