Wakoucha – Kuma san’s BENIHIKARI & KERAJI MIKAN BLEND

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Wakoucha background information
Wakoucha is Japanese black tea, with ‘Wa’ meaning Japanese and ‘koucha’ meaning red tea – referring to the colour of the liquid after brewing which is a warm red tone. Japan first started production in the Meiji era with the help of a Chinese tea specialist, when the government saw that a lot of Europeans and Americans were drinking black tea rather than green tea. The effort was unsuccessful, but in 1876 Tada Motokichi went to India to learn more about Darjeeling and Assam production, gaining insights on production methods and machinery, taking some seeds back to Japan. Those seeds gave birth to some wakoucha cultivars (such as Benihomare, one of the parents of Benifuuki). Currently there are only about 300 farmers producing Japanese black tea.

The above photos were taken by us in his Benifuuki tea field (that he also processes as wakoucha).

Notes for this particular tea
This specific wakoucha is from Jouyoumachi in Yame, Fukuoka prefecture by Kuma Masahiro. He has chosen to use this single cultivar - Benihikari - to process as black tea. It has a clean and clear flavour with a gentle body which is suitable to be used as a base to blend other flavours with. Keraji mikan fruits from Kikaijima (in between Kagoshima and Okinawa) are peeled, the peels are then sun dried and put into a blender to break into small pieces. Very interestingly, the keraji peel has the strong, sharp, distinct flavour of sanshou (Japanese peppercorn)!

About the tea farmer
Kuma san is very focused solely on tea farming and production and we are very proud to be able to offer his teas in Manchester! In 2017 his Saemidori Yame Dentou Hon Gyokuro was ranked the best in the country, winning the prestigious Grade 1 Rank 1 prize with 200/200 marks at the 71st Zengoku Chahinpyoukai (National Annual Tea Competition).

Hot temperatures at shorter brewing times tend to favour the black tea flavour profile, while lower temperatures for longer brewing times emphasise the keraji peel’s citrus and sanshou tasting notes. Please experiment when brewing this tea to find your personal preference. A good starting point is listed below:

Hot brewing guide:
Wakoucha 3 grams
Water 300ml
First infusion 85°C for 120sec
Second infusion 85°C for 60sec

To pour over ice (kyuurei):
Wakoucha 3 grams
Water 200ml
One infusion only 85°C for 120sec

Storage:
Store in the fridge or at room temperature in a cool dry place, and avoid exposure to sunlight and air - both of these will degrade your tea. Best consumed within 8 weeks from when it is first opened, but black tea is not particularly sensitive to oxidation like steamed Japanese green tea (sencha/gyokuro/matcha etc.) are, so this is not a strict time limit.