煎茶エキス

Four prefectures account for the majority of Japanese tea: Shizuoka (largest, ~40% of national production), Kagoshima (rapidly growing, mechanized large-scale production), Mie, and Kyoto (Uji — premium / heritage). Most sencha extract houses are co-located in or sourced from these regions. Kagoshima is often the most cost-competitive bulk source; Uji is positioned as premium with terroir story.

Industry-typical MOQ is 20–100 kg of spray-dried or liquid extract, with 4–8 week lead times for standard SKUs. Standardized-catechin extracts (e.g., 30%, 50%, 90% total catechins) carry 2–4 week additional lead time. Full first-flush (ichibancha) source extracts are seasonally constrained and command a premium.

Key COA parameters: total catechins (HPLC), EGCG specifically, caffeine, L-theanine if positioned, moisture, ash, microbiological limits, pesticide residues (significant for tea — especially for EU MRL compliance), and heavy metals. Pesticide residue compliance is the single most common hurdle for EU export; request a recent multi-residue panel against EU MRL list. JAS Organic, Rainforest Alliance, and Fair Trade certifications are commonly available.

Following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear incident, several markets (notably the EU and Korea) historically required radionuclide test certificates on Japanese tea exports. EU restrictions on Japanese food imports were lifted by Regulation (EU) 2023/1453, but some importers and retailers still request a Cs-134/Cs-137 test result as a documentation comfort measure. Japanese sencha extract suppliers can provide standardized radionuclide certificates on request.