Himalayan Shiiba - A tale of two nations, one cup.

This summer we received a sample of Himalayan Shiiba from our Nepali partner, Jun Chiyabari tea estate, a tea we had not encountered before. The moment we took our first sip we knew this was a very special tea. We immediately wrote to Lochan-jyu and Bachan-jyu, the owners of Jun Chiyabari, asking them to tell us more about the tea. What we learnt was poignantly beautiful and inspiring as the tea itself. We are publishing the letter from Lochan-jyu as is, so that you can hear the entire story in first person. He also kindly shared with us the pictures that are posted here.  

Himalayan Shiiba is made from tea trees that were originally from Shiiba village of Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. In 2004 and 2007 T. Shimada san, the family friend of the owners of Jun Chiyabari Tea Garden since early 1960's, brought some tea trees to Jun Chiyabari from Shiiba village.

H. Shiiba san, college friend of T Shimada san, and the person who sourced these tea trees from the surrounding mountains of his beloved Shiiba village accompanied him in the second trip to Nepal in 2007. In Jun Chiyabari these tea trees were called Shiiba Yama Cha 椎葉山茶 to honor the effort of these two gentlemen from Japan.

It was always the wish of the late Shiiba san and Shimada san to see really wonderful teas being produced at Jun Chiyabari. They specially wished to see and taste delicious teas made from Shiiba Yama Cha tea trees. Unfortunately, a few months after returning from Jun Chiyabari Tea Garden in Nepal, Shiiba san passed away in 2008. He did not see his dream of tea made from Shiiba Yama Cha 椎葉山茶 at Jun Chiyabari fulfilled.

For us at Jun Chiyabari it will always be a great regret that Shiiba san passed away before we could make any tea from the tea trees from Shiiba and indeed before he tasted tea from the tea trees of his mountain village deep in Miyazaki prefecture.

In the Spring of 2015 the very first tea from Shiiba Yama Cha* 椎葉山茶 was crafted. This micro-lot of 2kgs was sold, appropriately enough, in Japan. It is therefore fitting that this special tea made mostly from those tea trees is called Himalayan Shiiba. Life has a strange way of breaking connections but at the same time giving an opportunity to make the effort to establish new connections.

Like water
rushing down
the river rapids,
we may be parted
by a rock,
but in the end
we will be one again.
瀬をはやみ
岩にせかるる
滝川の
われても末に
逢はむとぞ思ふ
- retired emperor, Sutoku in Ogura Hyakunin Isshu百人一首

This tea connects in many ways. By producing this tea from Shiiba Yama Cha tea trees, we are connecting to wild tea trees growing in the remote Shiiba village in the mountains of Miyazaki in west Japan and Jun Chiyabari high in the Himalaya in east Nepal. Drinking this tea, one is connected, not only to us at Jun Chiyabari in Hile, Nepal, but also to Shiiba village, in Miyazaki, Japan. This tea also connects us to the tea making traditions of East Asia. Our tea teachers from Taiwan, China and Japan have breathed their benison into this tea.

Most of all this tea connects the spirit of the Japanese and the Nepali people who love, admire and respect each other. That spirit brought the tea trees from the mountains of Japan to the mountains of Nepal. Though parted by a rock for a brief moment, that spirit and fellowship is made one again by this tea.

This story came to a full circle in late May 2018 when I went to Shiiba village to pay my respect to Shiiba san at his shrine (Butsudan 仏壇) and met his wife. A photographic album of Shiiba san’s visit to Jun Chiyabari Tea Garden in 2007 and some Himalayan Shiiba Tea were handed over to her in person. Finally, the journey done, an offering of Himalayan Shiiba Tea was made to the late Shiiba san in his shrine.

PS: Yama Cha are wild tea trees that are found growing in some parts of south west Japan. No one is quite sure how they came to be there. They are quite different than the popular tea varieties in Japan, especially since they have been growing undisturbed for hundreds of years in forests adjacent to villages. It is also often referred to as "mountain tea."

We are very grateful to Lochan jyu for sharing with us this great story.