KYOTO WAZUKA KABUSECHA

Category: Green Tea
Origin: JAPAN, Kyoto Prefecture, Wazuka
Cultivar: Okumidori
Quantity: 30g per pack
Harvest:  Spring (April-May)
Other: Pesticide free
 
Location:
If tea is documented to arrive first in Japan with monks Kukai (774-835) and Saicho during the Nara period after visitingTang China, tea cultivation significantly took off at the beginning of the 13th century, following the return of Zen monk Eisai (1141-1215) who brought back tea seeds with him from Song China.
 
Eisai is recognized as the founder of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism and building of the famous temple Kennin-ji. He also wrote the first Japanese book about tea, entitled Kissa Yojoki 喫茶養生記‎ (Drinking Tea for Health) originally written as a medical book, describing the medicinal benefits of tea, tea cultivation methods, and tea drinking methods.
 
Eisai gave tea seeds to Myoe Shonin (1173-1232), a high-ranking monk of Kozan-ji Temple in Toganoo, Kyoto. MyoeShonin made a tea garden in the precincts of Umeo Kozan-ji and cultivated it. He then sowed its seeds in Uji south of Kyoto, and various parts of Japan. He is considered to be the father of the tea farming in Japan.
 
The history of Wazuka tea is also said to have started in the same period.
High priest Jishin Shonin (1170-1243) of Kaijusen-ji Temple (just west of Wazuka town) was in turn given tea seeds by Myoe Shonin. He started cultivating tea on the foothills of Mount Jubu, in an area now called the Harayama Tea Fields, perfect environment for tea cultivation.
 
Nowadays, it is possible to see the beautiful circular shape tea plantation in Harayama called 円形茶畑 enkei chabatake.
 
Wazuka has about 300 farms that produce about 40% of the Uji tea. This represents barely 2% of the tea produced in Japan but has a reputation for high quality tea with savory umami flavour. More than half of the tea produced in Wazuka is tencha/matcha.
 
Description:
This Kabusecha is grown without pesticides in an isolated plantation located on the top of a hill. It is harvested only once per year and is shaded for about 7 days before production. It is made of the Oku Midori cultivar (late green), a late maturity cultivar suitable for mountainous areas known for its vivid green colour and round gentle taste.
 
Preparation:
4g (0.14oz) of leaves per serving
80ml of water at 70°C (158°F) per serving
First brew: 60 seconds
Subsequent brews: 10-15 seconds
 
Cold brew: 10g of leaves for 1L of cold water. Brew for 12-15 hours in the fridge at 5°C. Filter the infusion in another bottle and keep it in the fridge. You may re-brew the spent leaves a second time as you like.