Organic Kagoshima Kuradashi Kabusecha Asanoka

This year's Kagoshima Kuradashi Kabusecha comes from 2010 Spring harvested shade grown leaves made not from the excellent Okumidori cultivar as in previous years, but from an amazing newer cultivar known as Asanoka! For this kabusecha the tea bushes were covered for around 15 days prior to harvesting after which they were uncovered and harvested. The harvested leaves were then deep steamed, fully processed, and placed into storage. The leaves have been aging ever since then (Spring 2010).

To age the tea leaves the grower places them in a special designated storage facility, and takes them from there as and when we need them. This unique aging process is known as kuradashi in Japanese which needs a good deal of expertise to achieve. The idea behind this type of aging process of tea leaves is to take away any flavors that might have been a little too prominent or harsh in Spring and replace them with deliciously deep sweet mellow flavors. Shade grown teas that age well like this can easily be kept for 2-3 years and usually become more and more deliciously sweet as time passes.

The taste of this kabusecha is incredibly theanine-rich! It has a very deep sweet mellow flavor and boasts an excellent refreshing aroma. In order to bring out the desired sweet taste it is preferable to use a high leaf to water ratio with low temperature water of around 60°C/140°F-65°C/149°F for the first infusion. After the first infusion you can gradually increase the temperature with each infusion. Once you find the preferred brewing parameters you'll be enjoying a delicious cup of organic Japanese green tea!

Cultivar Information

Asanoka
Asanoka cultivar is a newer cultivar that was developed and tested in the Chiran region of Kagoshima and is now successfully cultivated by some Kagoshima growers. It's a cross between Yabukita and a Jiangxi Province Chinese cultivar systematically numbered Cn1. It has an excellent quality theanine-rich sweet flavor and the most eloquent refreshing aroma.

Brewing Suggestion

Steep	Leaf-Water Ratio	Water Temperature	Infusion Time
1	1g/1oz	65°C/149°F	60 seconds
2	-	70°C/158°F	10-30 seconds
3+	-	Hotter Water	Longer Steeps

Additional Information

Origin	Kagoshima, Japan
Organic Certification(s)	JAS
Harvest Date	May 2010
Harvest Period	100% Ichibancha (First Harvest)
Steaming	Fukamushi (Deep)
Cultivar(s)	100% Asanoka
NET Weight	50g/1.76oz