Tasting profile
Primary tasting notes
- CustardSweet and round in the mouth
- Cherry BlossomsA floral quality remains as a distinctive hallmark of Japanese greens
- Asian PearRefreshing, slightly cooling, and with a lingering subtle sweetness.
About Kamairicha
Kamairicha is a beautiful marriage of tea traditions. Around the 1500's, trade with China influenced Japanese loose leaf tea production methods. China had only recently made the switch to loose leaf production a century or so earlier, during the Ming Dynasty. This process required stopping the oxidation of the tea leaves through the application of heat. In China, this is most often done over a wok, whereas in Japan, this is achieved via steam. However, Kamairicha is an exception; this is Japanese-grown tea that is wok-treated, rather than steamed. Initially, this was the norm in Japan, but after the steaming method became popular, Kamairicha became very limited.
If you are a fan of Chinese shu pu'er, chances are you will enjoy this tea! It has a woodsy, soil-like flavor that is deeply familiar and comforting (especially on cloudy days), but with a little something extra: some fruity, tart, sweetness comes through in the finish that is not at all overpowering but makes this tea feel much livelier than your average pu'er!
A Miyazaki Specialty
No, not the animator! Miyazaki is famed mountainous tea region in the south of Japan that is still known for being the heart of Kamairicha production. In large part this is because of its proximity to the historical origin point of the importation of Chinese loose leaf tea. Perhaps out of love of the tea type, perhaps in search of a unique identity, perhaps because this method of processing suits the mountainous region of Miyazaki best (probably some of all of those), the tradition of Kamairicha production in the region has been unbroken for centuries.
