Tasting profile
Primary tasting notes
- Terra Cotta/Wet GravelEarthy, crisp, cooling stone note somewhat like petrichor.
- Burdock RootSuch a perfect humid summertime smell that gives a forest vibe to the tea.
- Rain Soaked VegetationThe smell of mugwort plants after the rain.
Origin and farming
- Terroir
- Chiaran-cho, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan
- Farming method
- Conventional
Experiencing this Asanoka
This tea evoked a strong memory for me. On a rainy day in Kyoto, we stopped into the temple Daitoku-Ji. Somehow we were the only ones there, the place was entirely empty. The rain eased somewhat, I sat beneath the eaves of the tiled roof, and breathed in the aroma of the nearbye rock garden as I settled into a peace I remember over a decade later. Needless to say, this was quite an evocative tea, and one I knew we had to offer!
Chiran Tea and the Asanoka Cultivar
On the very southern tip of Kagoshima lies perhaps the most prized region for tea growing in the region, full of volcanic soil and large plateaus of tea fields.
It is a semi-tropical environment and warms up more quickly here than in Central Japan, Consequently the harvests come a little earlier. The region has a few specialty cultivars, of which Asanoka is one, though nonetheless a very rare treat. This cultivar is prized because of its naturally low astringency. In warmer climates, it is much easier for tea to mature too quickly and become bitter, so growers seek out cultivars like this one that offset that limitation of their terroir.
Conventional Farming in Kagoshima
As you may know, we pride ourselves on offering primarily organic and naturally-farmed tea that has not had any chemical intervention whatsoever. That said, when it comes to tender tea leaves in subtropical climates, the need to protect them from insects is far more urgent than it is in Central Japan, especially with naturally sweet and smooth cultivars such as this one!
"Conventional" can mean many things, though in this case it means the minimum pesticide use necessary for healthy tea. The dried tea leaves must comply with strict international guidelines for any residue on the leaves before being permitted for export. This tea, being cleared for export to multiple countries, each with different requirements, therefore has to keep pesticide residue levels as close to zero as possible.
Nonetheless, drinking this Asanoka, it is easy to tell that it is not your average dump-it-full-of-nitrogen-umami-bomb. The grower has shown lots of restraint in order to produce a tea that is genuinely complex. Our main gripe with most conventional matcha is that they end up tasting the same because everyone wants the most umami possible. This tea, meanwhile, tastes utterly unique!
Milled-To-Order: The perfect intersection of craft, terroir, and freshness.
Fresh milling is the final step in bringing our Asanoka Matcha to life. Every single tin on our site is milled-to-order. Given that we value complexity so highly, we consider this necessary - milling shortly before consumption allows the more volatile aromatic compounds of matcha to still reach your bowl, allowing the artistry behind each tea to truly shine!
