Nichinan No. 1 is an extra-early-ripening variety of Satsuma mandarin discovered in Miyazaki Prefecture. It is harvested and shipped in late summer, mainly during September and October, offering an opportunity to enjoy fresh mandarins earlier than many other varieties.
Miyazaki receives considerable rainfall, so growers use a special cultivation technique to control the amount of moisture in the orchard soil. Sheets are spread over the ground beneath the trees. These sheets help prevent excessive rainwater from entering the soil while allowing some of the moisture already in the ground to evaporate at a suitable rate.
This careful control of soil moisture helps concentrate the fruit’s sweetness, producing mandarins with a refreshing aroma and rich flavor.
The sheets used in this cultivation method are white. By reflecting sunlight upward toward the trees, they help ensure that more light reaches the fruit. This technique contributes to the development of mandarins with a vivid, deep-orange color.
Multi Nichinan No. 1 is in season in September and October. Its concentrated sweetness, refreshing fragrance, rich flavor, and bright orange appearance make it a distinctive early-season citrus specialty of Miyazaki.