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Organic Makurazaki Black Tea Hime Hikari

Organic Makurazaki Black Tea Hime Hikari
$14.00USD
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A superior quality 100% handpicked first flush organic Japanese black tea cultivated by a very long established, award winning, organic black tea grower in the famed black tea production area known as Makurazaki which is in Kagoshima prefecture! Made from the tea bush variety known as “Benihikari” which was bred in Japan for black tea. It's comprised of the delicate young leaves that are carefully hand-picked at the optimum timing creating a sweet and fresh flavored koucha with little astringency, sweet fragrance, and a lovely lingering after-taste. JAS certified LIMITED organic koucha and one not to miss!

100% HANDPICKED

(Handpicked = Tezumi in Japanese)
Although most tea in Japan is harvested by machines, the cultivators of this organic black tea choose to pick all leaves by hand. All leaves are checked for quality by eye and with their fingertips as they pluck them. The annual yield of the farm is therefore quite low meaning that each black tea is limited, but is ultimately superior in quality.

MAKURAZAKI JAPANESE BLACK TEA

If you know your time-line on Japanese black tea, you'll know that Makurazaki in Kagoshima prefecture was one of the main cultivation regions of high quality black tea in Japan in the 1960s. Unfortunately, restrictions on black tea imports were lifted in Japan in 1971 which led to a mass of cheap low quality import black tea entering the Japanese black tea market, already sensing what was going to happen, most black tea farmers in Japan at that time swiftly switched over to producing green tea leaving the Japanese domestic black tea market to slowly dwindle away. Thankfully, for a few Japanese black tea farmers, that didn't stop their passion and desire to cultivate black tea in Makurazaki because they knew they were making black tea with a very special taste (The triple awarding winning Hime Fuki Japanese black tea is evidence of that)! Therefore, still today there are black tea farmers, including some of the older original farmers, that are still cultivating and innovating the production of high quality organic black tea in the region! It is due to their efforts that it remains possible to enjoy the high quality taste of organic Makurazaki black tea!

OriginMakurazaki, Kagoshima, Kyushu, Japan
Organic Certification(s)JAS
Harvest DateMay 2011
Harvest PeriodSpring (100% First Flush)
Harvest MethodTezumi (Hand-picked)
Cultivar(s)100% Benihikari
NET Weight40g (1.41oz)
Reviews by registered customers:
 
by David B.
Date Added: 03/28/2010
I wasn't really sure what to expect from Japanese black tea. I didn't even know it existed. I am familiar with, and occasionally drink some very good black teas from China and Taiwan. So far the best was a fairly expensive Taiwanese black tea. I was very interested in comparing this with the Japanese version. Brewing was done in a moderately thick, medium weight porcelain "gaiwan with a spout." I used 208 degree water (temperature before dispensing into the brewing vessel which was not preheated). I was blown away by the quality of this tea! I didn't have the Taiwanese black available for a direct comparison but the Japanese black tea was of the same high quality level with a somewhat different taste (it is also in the same price range). The Japanese black tea was very smooth with a bit less astringency and a little more sweetness than the reference tea. I wouldn't pick one over the other as they're both exceptional, but I definitely plan of buying more of this organic Japanese black tea in the future. I highly recommend this tea to anyone who likes black teas from China or Taiwan. However, I must stress that it was brewed in porcelain so I don't know how it would come out if brewed in a clay kyuusu of Yixing. I rate this incredible and unique Japanese black tea AAA+++ and thank the grower and Yuuki-Cha for offering it!