Description

Green tea is said to be healthy because it contains anti-oxidative and anti-allergic catechines. This Benifuuki number 1 (the first picking of the year) has an exceptionally high content of both of these, in particular 3MeEGCg3.

While catechins can make a tea taste bitter, this surprising tea has an unusually floral scent when you first open the packet, reminiscent of an oolong. The taste is also surprising for a Japanese green tea, sweet and floral, with lots of umami.

Working in cooperation with the Kagoshima Tea Research Institute, the producers of this unique tea spent years optimising methods of tea cultivation, harvest and production. In doing so they placed particular focus on the Benifuuki cultivar of the tea plant, which was already known for its health benefits. After a short oxidisation period in the dark at low temperature, for this tea they developed a new method of stopping oxidisation: instead of the normal short “Asamushi”, medium “Chumushi or longer “Fukamushi” steaming at 100°C, the steaming “kill green” step of production was carried out in a special machine that could raise the temperature to around 300°C. This more efficient way of de-enzyming the tea uses less steam which results in a more intense aroma and a beautiful dark green dry leaf.

We love this tea not just because it is something different and super healthy but also because it tastes great over four infusions.

DE-ÖKO-006 Non-EU Agriculture

From controlled organic cultivation