Portugal

Ikedoki Tea is based in the village of Sonogi, in the Japanese prefecture of Nagasaki. The team does not produce tea itself but acts as a bridge between a handful of independent tea makers in the region and tea drinkers worldwide. Nagasaki accounts for barely one per cent of Japanese tea production, but played a significant role in history: the first shipments of tea to Europe were sent via the port of Hirado.

Sonogi specialises in tamaryokucha, a steamed green tea with curled leaves. In the nearby area of Saza, tea is still processed using the rare kamairicha method, in which the leaves are heated in a pan after picking rather than steamed.

Read more about Ikedoki Tea.