Meiryoku (茗緑) is a tea cultivar known for its robustness, in the sense that it’s easy to cultivate and maintain.
The character “mei” is often used in Chinese when referring to tea, while “ryoku” means green.
It is a normal budding cultivar which can be harvested a day or two earlier than Yabukita.
History of Meiryoku
Yabukita and Yamatomidori where crossed and the best seedling was selected for testing, which began in 1980.
In 1986, Meiryoku was registered as Japanese tea cultivar number 35. It’s mainly used for sencha production.
Characteristics of Meiryoku
This tea plant exhibits vigorous growth and is resitant to cold weather in about the same degree as Yabukita. However, it doesn’t fare well after a bark split injury due to frost.
Meiryoku has a fairly strong resistance to diseases. It is very strong against the gray blight, and has a medium resistance to anthracnose.
The yield at harvest is high, and the quality of the brewed tea is good.
The caffeine and amino acid content is higher than Yabukita, while the catechin content is lower.
Meiryoku is also known for having a refreshing taste.
