Wakoucha – Hoshinomura
Wakoucha is Japanese black tea, with ‘Wa’ meaning Japanese and ‘koucha’ meaning red tea – referring to the colour of the liquid after brewing which is a warm red tone. Japan first started production in the Meji era with the help of a Chinese tea specialist, when the government saw that a lot of Europeans and Americans were drinking black tea rather than green tea. The effort was unsuccessful, but in 1876 Tada Motokichi went to India to learn more about Darjeeling and Assam production, gaining insights on production methods and machinery, taking some seeds back to Japan. Those seeds gave birth to some wakoucha cultivars (such as Benihomare). Currently there are only about 300 farmers producing Japanese black tea.
This specific wakoucha is from Hoshinomura, Yame, in Fukuoka prefecture. It is made using Japanese green tea cultivars. The use of green tea cultivar creates a more gentle flavour profile with much less astringency than traditional black tea - please enjoy it straight without adding milk or sugar. You may also notice some slightly orange fruitiness! It is also very suitable for making ice tea in hot summer days, using the kyuurei method to make a concentrated hot brew, and pouring over lots of ice. Please try it!
Please experiment when brewing this tea to find your personal preference. A good starting point is listed below:
Hot brewing guide:
Wakoucha 3 grams
Water 140ml
First infusion 75°C for 70sec
Second infusion 80°C for 45sec
Third infusion 85°C for 45sec
To pour over ice (kyuurei):
Wakoucha 4 grams
Water 140ml
One infusion only 80°C for 120sec
Storage:
Store in the fridge or at room temperature in a cool dry place, and avoid exposure to sunlight and air - both of these will degrade your tea. Best consumed within 3-6 months from when it is first opened, but black tea is not particularly sensitive to oxidation like steamed Japanese green tea (sencha/gyokuro/matcha etc.) are, so this is not a strict time limit.
