HARUHIDE MORITA, TEA MASTER
We will introduce the work of Haruhide Morita, the special advisor to our company.
Tea is alive.
The products speak for themselves when handled with care.
Special Advisor to Hotta Katsutaro Shoten
・Three-time champion in the National Competition for Tea Appraisal Techniques
・Three-time winner of the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award
・Five-time champion in the Kyoto Prefectural Competition for Tea Appraisal Techniques
He was born on February 21, 1951, in Kyoto, Japan.
He joined "Horii Shichimeien Co., Ltd.", a famous long-established store in Uji, Kyoto, which was also his mother's hometown, where he learned the basics of tea, including tea tasting, procurement and sales methods.
In 1969, he joined the Uji Chapter of the Kyochasei Community Organization (Tea Industry Youth Association of Kyoto) and during a preliminary round of the annual National Tea Appraisal Technique Contest, he had a chance meeting with Katsutaro Hotta that changed his life. Morita developed his talent rapidly by learning tea judging, appraisal techniques and mental strength from Katsutaro Hotta, who had won the second prize in the National Tea Appraisal Technique Contest.
In his first year of joining the Uji Chapter, he made a spectacular national debut at the 17th National Tea Appraisal Technique Contest by winning the championship, establishing a new record in history as the youngest champion (19 years old at the time) having won the award in his first-ever competition. He was also awarded the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award. Morita won the national championship again in the 28th and 39th Contests, a total of 3 times, which is an unprecedented achievement. In 1994, his achievement was celebrated by conferring upon him the prestigious ninth dan in tea appraisal technology, the highest rank for tea appraisers at the time, making him indisputably the most famous tea appraiser in Japan. Always striving for better, Morita opened a store called ""Ocha no Moritaen"" to develop products based on the beliefs he cultivated.
ACTIVITIES AS SPECIAL ADVISOR TO HOTTA KATSUTARO SHOTEN
Hotta Katsutaro Shoten takes the help of skilled artisan Haruhide Morita in the development of products. There are a wide variety of products made from tea, and we are continuing to conduct research for the development of ingredients.
Each tea leaf is unique, even if they are harvested from the same region, by the same farmer, or even from the same tea plant. The task of careful-selection based on these subtle differences in quality is very important. The quality of “aracha (raw tea)” is judged based on its color, aroma, and taste when hot water is poured. In this process of selecting the best “aracha”, Haruhide Morita's uncompromising sense of taste and smell is demonstrated.
The aracha carefully selected by tea master "Haruhide Morita" undergoes processing and finishing. The temperature and time of "hi-ire (firing)", the most important process for tea, are adjusted by tea master "Haruhide Morita" according to the individual characteristics of the carefully selected aracha. According to tea master "Haruhide Morita", "Fire is the life of tea"
Several tea leaves produces a deep and versatile flavor with a mellow feeling in the mouth, sweetness and refreshing bitterness. Tea master "Haruhide Morita", whose uncompromising sense of taste and aroma is again demonstrated in the final blending process, communicates with tea every day to deliver a more mature and deeper flavor to our customers.
He carefully selects ingredients such as matcha green tea, depending on the ingredients to be combined in the product planning and OEM.
He is focusing his efforts on mentoring young staff and training the next generation.
He conducts training classes on tea brewing, frequently appears in TV shows and magazines with special features on Japanese tea to make tea more widely known to the public, and actively conveys the appeal of Japanese tea, thus contributing to the popularization of tea and the development of the tea industry.