Den’s Tea Organic Sencha Yutaka-Midori

1. Leaves & farming 25% of the rating 4 of 5

   USDA’s listing names this sencha. The page names the grower (Mr. Onitsuka, Shibushi City, Kagoshima), the cultivar (Yutaka-Midori) and a first-flush harvest. It gives no harvest year, and Den’s FAQ says all its teas are grown in Shizuoka.

2. Independent testing 30% of the rating 2 of 5

   No lead, pesticide or fluoride results are published. Den’s says it often lab-tests its non-organic teas for pesticides and shows California’s lead warning on its teas, with no figures. The organic listing covers farming, not lead.

3. What touches the tea 15% of the rating 4 of 5

   Loose leaf. Den’s FAQ describes the 2 oz package as a re-sealable foil bag with an oxygen absorber; it does not say what else the bag is made of.

4. Trust 10% of the rating 3 of 5

   No Prop 65 notices or recalls found, and it shows the lead warning voluntarily. But its FAQ contradicts the product page on where the tea is grown, and it gives no numbers for its safety statements.

5. Value 20% of the rating 4 of 5

   $17.75 for 56 g is about $0.63 a cup at Den’s own count of 28 cups per package, less with a second steep, or $0.32 a gram. That is fair for a first-flush, single-grower sencha. Tao of Tea’s genmaicha costs about $0.12 a gram.

The rating, 3.3 of 5, is the weighted average of these scores. See how we rank tea & teaware and our standard.

1. Organic green tea (sencha, Yutaka-Midori cultivar); the page prints no ingredient line

• Paid certification USDA National Organic Program, through CCOF (a certifier Den’s Tea pays) October 2026

  Lists Den’s Tea, Inc. as an organic operation, with “Tea (Japanese Green Tea - Sencha Yutaka-Midori)” in its scope. Organic rules cover farming inputs and handling, not lead or other metals, and set no fluoride limit. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

• Maker’s own test Den’s Tea (maker’s statement; no lab named) October 2026

  Says it often submits its non-organic teas to a lab to check pesticide residue. Shows California’s lead warning on its teas and says levels are well below FDA’s tolerable intake levels, with no figures. Nothing is published for this tea. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Does it contain lead?

Den’s says tea naturally contains lead from the soil and shows California’s lead warning on its teas (Prop 65 page (opens in a new tab)). It says the levels are well below FDA’s tolerable intake levels but gives no figure, and we found no independent test of this tea. Steeped tea usually passes little lead into the cup: Consumer Reports found concerning lead after brewing in only two of the 30 teas it tested in 2024 (report (opens in a new tab)), and the article does not name Den’s among the brands it tested. But there is no number here for Den’s.

Is it from Kagoshima or Shizuoka?

The product page says Mr. Onitsuka grows it in Shibushi City, Kagoshima; the FAQ (opens in a new tab) says all Den’s teas are grown in Shizuoka and packed by its parent company there. We went with the specific product page, but the two statements conflict.

What about fluoride?

Tea plants take up fluoride, and levels rise as the leaf matures (Lu et al. 2004 (opens in a new tab)). In a 2021 test of four Asian green teas, the Japanese tea had the least in the cup (1.88 ppm against 3.58 to 6.83 ppm for the others; study (opens in a new tab)). A first-flush sencha uses young leaf, but Den’s publishes no fluoride result. See our fluoride guide.

Is the foil bag lined with plastic?

Den’s FAQ calls the 2 oz package a re-sealable foil bag with an oxygen absorber and does not say what else it is made of. The tea is dry, so little touches it that matters, but we cannot say the bag is plastic-free.

• The USDA Organic Integrity Database lists Den’s Tea, Inc. (certifier CCOF) with “Tea (Japanese Green Tea - Sencha Yutaka-Midori)” among its certified products.
• The page names the grower (Mr. Onitsuka, Shibushi City, Kagoshima), the cultivar (Yutaka-Midori) and the harvest (first flush).
• Den’s says its teas are processed and packed by its parent company, Shirakata Denshiro Shoten, shipped to California and kept in chilled storage. Its FAQ says the bag holds an oxygen absorber.
• At $17.75 for 56 g it is about $0.32 a gram, or $0.63 a cup at Den’s own count of 28 cups per 2 oz package (2 g a cup).

• No heavy-metal, pesticide or fluoride results are published for the organic line. Den’s says it often sends its non-organic teas to a lab for pesticide residue, but gives no numbers, and we found none for this tea.
• Den’s shows California’s Prop 65 lead warning for its teas and says tea “naturally contains lead from the soil”. We found no lead figure for this tea.
• Den’s FAQ says all its teas are grown in Shizuoka, while this page says Kagoshima. We went with the product page.
• The page gives no harvest year. Den’s FAQ describes the 2 oz package as a re-sealable foil bag with an oxygen absorber, and does not say what else the bag is made of.

1. Den’s Tea: Organic Sencha Yutaka-Midori (product page). Maker’s page. Seen 23 October 2026: $17.75 for 2 oz; grower, cultivar, first flush; brewing 2 to 3 g per 4 oz. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
2. Den’s Tea: infrequently and frequently asked questions. Maker’s page. Source for the organic, lab-testing, freshness, bag, Shizuoka and Prop 65 statements. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
3. Den’s Tea: California Proposition 65. Maker’s page. The lead warning and Den’s explanation. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
4. USDA Organic Integrity Database: Den’s Tea, Inc.. Certifier or regulator listing. Checked 22 October 2026 (not re-opened on 23 October). Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
5. Consumer Reports: Good news on tea, few contaminants, lots of health benefits (20 May 2024). Test report. Opened 23 Oct 2026 and again in the second pass. Independent tests of 30 teas; lead was concerning after brewing in only two (Luzianne Iced Black Tea and From Great Origins Organic Hibiscus). The article names brands such as Bigelow, Lipton, Twinings and Yamamotoyama, not Den’s Tea, but it does not print the full list of 30. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
6. Fluoride content in tea and its relationship with tea quality (Lu et al., 2004). Independent source. PMID 15237954. Opened and checked: fluoride rises with leaf maturity. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
7. Fluoride content in Asian produced green teas (Ing et al., 2021). Independent source. PMID 34343066. Opened and checked: Japanese 1.88 ppm, Sri Lankan 3.58, South Korean 5.36, Chinese 6.83. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
8. California Attorney General: Prop 65 60-day notice search. Certifier or regulator listing. Searched by alleged violator (exact phrases “Den’s Tea”, “Dens Tea” and “Shirakata”) on 23 Oct 2026: no notice. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
9. openFDA: food enforcement reports (recalling firm search). Certifier or regulator listing. Searched 23 Oct 2026: no matches. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

• The Tao of Tea Organic Genmaicha About a third of the price per gram. An outside lab found no lead in a strong brew of it, at a 5 ppb detection limit, but it names no farm.
• Rishi Organic Nishi Sencha First Flush (opens in a new tab) Also names its grower (Nishi-san, Kirishima) and is listed as organic, at about $32 for 50 g. Prop 65 lead notices have named other Rishi products: matcha, oolong and a chai concentrate.

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