Organic First Flush Yame Wakocha Yabukita Japanese Black Tea

Wakocha is Japanese black tea. While Japan is certainly not known for its black tea, innovative and dedicated tea farmers are learning to produce delicate but delicious black teas. This mellow and soft-tasting black tea comes from Yame, Fukuoka Prefecture, one of Japan's best at creating a premium green tea called gyokuro.

This Wakocha is made from the Yabukita variety in Japan. The name "Yabukita" derives from the place where the tea was grown for the first time, a bamboo bush grove (Yabu) and the north (Kita). The Yabukita cultivar was bred in 1908 by Hikosaburo Sugiyama in Shizuoka. Yabukita is a green tea cultivar originally crossed in Abe, Shizuoka, its parents being seedlings of native Shizuoka species. It has bright green leaves that are also very aromatic and tasty, usually covered for seven days before harvesting to produce that distinct umami flavor.

As these leaves come from the Yabukita cultivar, you may find that the tea leaves hold a faint sweetness reminiscent of Japanese sencha. It is an original blend that brings out the aroma and deliciousness by carefully maturing for 180 days. Only good early spring tender leaves are carefully selected and carefully picked. Characterized by its pleasantly smooth and sweet flavor with a floral aroma, this black tea is meant to be drunk without sugar. The light taste is produced precisely because it uses tea leaves that are generally considered perfect for sencha green tea.

The highlighting feature of the Yame Wakocha is the fragrance. It has a flowery fragrance like an orchid. The taste is smooth when flowing into your mouth, and then the sweetness comes out. When brewed light, this tea brews a smooth, malty liquor with notes of ripe fruits, cinnamon and brown sugar. Overall a very enjoyable winter warmer that tastes delicious on its own, and that will likely convert those who thought that black teas are all about a heavy and tannin-rich body. Wakocha will break your standard of black tea if you are used to drinking Indian, Sri Lankan or African black teas.

Brewing Guide: 2.5g in 250ml water at 90°C for 3 minutes.