Wakoucha – Kuma san’s Single Cultivar Benifuuki

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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 Meji 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.

Notes for this particular tea
This specific wakoucha is from Jouyoumachi in Yame, Fukuoka prefecture by Kuma Masahiro. He has chosen to use this first harvest single cultivar - Benifuuki - to process as black tea. It has a clean and clear flavour with mellow characteristics that is absolutely delicious on its own or with milk and sugar prepared as a royal milk tea! When processed as steamed tea, something starting to increase in popularity recently, Benifuuki has a reputation of helping to alleviate symptoms of hayfever. The above photos are from our spring 2024 visit just after this very tea was harvest! You can see photos of the exact tea field that this tea is grown, as well as the fresh tea during the initial drying stage.

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).

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 130ml
First infusion 80°C for 75sec
Second infusion 85°C for 60sec
Third infusion 85°C for 60sec

To pour over ice (kyuurei):
Wakoucha 4 grams
Water 130ml
One infusion only 85°C for 120sec

For Royal Milk Tea (still experimenting but this recipe is DELICIOUS):
Wakoucha 7 grams
Milk 240ml
Pure Cane Sugar 6g
Combine ingredients in a pan and heat until 60°C (don’t go over 65°C with whole cow’s milk as the proteins will start to denature). Leave to soak for 20 minutes, heat back up, drain, and serve!

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 3-6 months 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.