Super Premium 97 P.
| Character | Very well balanced, silky, fine, sweet, alkaline, nourishing |
| Tea Garden | A cooperative of small tea farms in Tenryu |
| Terroir | Tenryu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan |
| Harvest | Between 1st and 2nd harvest 2022 (Meban; jp: 芽番), June |
| Cultivar | Yabukita |
| Elevation | 450-650m above sea level |
| Steaming | Short (asamushi, approximately 20 seconds) |
| Organic Cert. | EU certified organic, JAS organic |
| Laboratory Tests | Laboratory tested for radioactivity (Region as of 11/2019) and pesticides (641 substances, as of 01/2017) |
| Grade | 97/100 P. (Bancha category); Super Premium |
We source this meban bancha from a young and renowned organic tea farmer specialising in the production of classic Shizuoka sencha and high-quality bancha.
This excellent organic meban unites the advantages of a strong sencha with the alkaline mildness of a bancha. The pleasant and well-rounded yabukita cultivar grows to its fullest in the choice mountainous terroir of Tenryu. The tea has a pleasant complexity and strength, paired perfectly with a wonderfully delicate bitterness. The tea has chlorophyll sweetness and an alkaline nourishing character. One of the best bancha in Japan.
Very fine, long needles (like a sencha), vibrant colour, small proportion of stems
Vibrant light green
Bancha is a pillar of Japanese green tea tradition and typically made from the broad leaves of later harvests, although some premium bancha are made from the leaves of the early interim harvest (meban). This kind of tea is very mild, alkaline and important in macrobiology, making it an ideal evening tea.
The tea fields are located in a mountainous terrain near the basin of the Tenryu River. The terroir is characterised by high rainfall (1,500mm+) and mineral-rich soil. The steep slopes require hand-operated harvest machinery.
This tea is exclusively sourced from the above mentioned tea farms in Tenryu. Sourced directly from the tea farmers.
2 heaped tsp per 100-300ml (60°C) water. Steep for 2 minutes. Suitable for several infusions.
High quality, airtight, resealable standing zipper pouch with 9 protective layers to preserve flavour and protect against oxidation and contamination.
The ideal teapot for this tea is a brown kyusu or dobin designed for bancha (which allows it to develop a more full-bodied flavour). A black tokoname kyusu with a fine ceramic strainer would be suitable to achieve a more neutral taste.
A high-quality tea caddy made of cherry bark (solid wood, kabazaiku chazutsu) is ideal. Alternatively, a cheaper, internally coated, airtight tea caddy can suffice.
