Camellia sinensis var. sinensis ★★★★★

Okumidori

Late-budding, deep vivid green with round earthy-sweet umami and no harsh edges.

Species
var. sinensis
Lineage
Modern hybrid
Country
Japan
Year
1974
Leaf size
Medium
Cup quality
5/5

Okumidori (おくみどり) is a Japanese green-tea cultivar registered in 1974, a cross of Yabukita with the Shizuoka Zairai No.16 line. "Oku" means late: it buds about a week after Yabukita, which spreads out the harvest and makes it valuable to growers as a complement to Yabukita-dominated plantings.

It has become a favourite for matcha and gyokuro because it holds an intense, vivid green colour under shade and gives a smooth, rounded cup — earthy-sweet umami with a long calm finish and very little harsh bitterness. It is one of the most planted premium cultivars after Yabukita and Yutakamidori.

Modern hybrid
Deliberate cross developed by tea research institutes. Developed 1974. Parent material: Yabukita, Shizuoka Zairai No.16.
Lineage data & sources
Documented cross — its two parent cultivars are recorded in tea-breeding registries and confirmed by SSR/DNA analysis; trace them in the lineage explorer.
Sources: naro.go.jp

Teas produced

MatchaGyokuroSencha

Flavor signature

UmamiSweetVegetalSmoothVivid-green

Growing regions

Origins where Okumidori grows

Brands likely carrying Okumidori

Direct-sourcing operations with focus areas that align with this cultivar's typical growing regions.

Related cultivars

Ask Freshie