A new creation from the 15th generation Okutomi family in Sayama, Saitama prefecture.

The flavour of this tea is incredibly sweet and delicate!

Okutomi san shared the making process of this oolong bancha with us:

Nikkan ichou - Sundried wilting. The freshly harvested tea leaves are dried under natural sunlight to remove some moisture and start oxidising.

Shitsunai ichou - Indoor wilting. The tea is moved to dry in the ichou house on raised beds with fans underneath the beds to circulate air. This further removes moisture and continues the oxidisation.

Yousei - Shaking. The wilted leaves are then shaken by hand in a bamboo colander, which creates small scratches on the edges of the leaves and activates enzymes and accelerates the oxidisation.

Kamairi - Pan frying. The leaves are transferred to a kama (pan) to add heat which halts the action of the enzymes. This process is known as sassei, or kill green.

Juunen - Rolling. The leaves are rolled, which brings out the aroma and taste.

Kansou - Drying. This is the final drying process to reduce the moisture content to desired levels.