Our flagship Japanese black tea, made from first-flush Yabukita leaves grown in our mountain fields in Fujieda, Shizuoka. Japanese black tea (wakoucha, 和紅茶) was once produced widely across Japan before cheaper imports pushed it to the margins in the twentieth century. We've spent years relearning the craft — adapting classical black tea processing to the character of Japanese tea trees and terroir to create something full-bodied and bold, but unmistakably Japanese in its softness and clarity.
What sets this lot apart is the unka bite. Unka (ウンカ, the tea green leafhopper) is the same insect responsible for Taiwan's legendary Oriental Beauty oolong: as the bugs feed on the young leaves, the plant releases defense compounds that naturally produce honey, muscat, and ripe stone-fruit aromatics in the finished tea. Possible only because we farm without pesticides — a quiet gift of organic agriculture.
The cup pours a deep amber-red, with a rounded body, natural sweetness, and none of the sharp tannic bite of mass-produced black teas. Excellent on its own, and gentle enough to enjoy without milk or sugar.
- Brewing guidelines: 2 piled tsp. to 200–300 ml water at 90°C / 194°F, steeped for 2–3 minutes.
- Cultivar: Yabukita
- Harvest: First flush, spring — unka-bitten leaves
- Cultivation: Certified JAS Organic. Grown pesticide-free. Fertilized with organic compost.