Saemidori Kyoto Wazuka | Covered Sencha

Sweetness (umami): ★★★★ Astringency: ★ Color: ★★★★ Color of Ochanomizu Left: First brew Right: Second brew Sae Midori single-origin tea leaves from Wazuka Town, Kyoto Prefecture. This variety was created by crossing "Yabukita" with "Asatsuyu", a type of natural gyokuro. This is an excellent variety that is considered to be the highest quality sencha. As its name suggests, the tea leaves have a beautiful, vibrant, clear green color. As it is said to be a top-quality variety, the first brew is a vivid, clear green. It is also almost completely free of astringency, and the rich, sweet, and flavorful taste colors the mouth. In the second brew, the leaves open up and the green color becomes deeper and more beautiful. The rich flavor and sweetness of the tea also reveal a crisp, tea-like side. You can enjoy the delicious flavor of Saemidori even after the third brew, and as you raise the temperature of the water you can also enjoy the crispness. We recommend brewing it a little stronger than usual. "Kyoto Wazuka" For 800 years, Wazuka-cho in Kyoto has been passing down traditions, cultivating tea fields and producing high-quality tea. The large temperature difference between day and night and the climate prone to fog help block direct sunlight from the tea leaves, making it ideal for cultivating high-quality, sweet tea leaves. ・Characteristics of Kabusecha It is a type of Japanese tea that is somewhere between Sencha and Gyokuro. It is cultivated in the same way as Gyokuro, by covering the tea to block out direct sunlight. The period for which gyokuro is covered is around 20 days, while kabusecha is covered for about one week. (YUGEN's kabusecha is covered for 14 to 20 days. The tea leaves are carefully selected and grown by tea farmers with great care by hand.) As a result, it is a Japanese tea that has the sweetness and umami of Gyokuro, as well as the flavor of Sencha. Also, the ingredients that are extracted vary depending on the temperature of the water; when brewed at a lukewarm temperature, it has a strong sweetness and umami flavor similar to gyokuro, while when brewed at a hotter temperature, you can enjoy the refreshing astringency of sencha. For this reason, we recommend that you brew the tea at about 60-70 degrees for the first infusion, and then raise the temperature by about 10 degrees from the second infusion onwards to enjoy the difference in taste. The benefits of Kabuse tea Kabusecha is rich not only in the catechins found in tea, but also in theanine, a type of amino acid that has antioxidant properties and is great for relaxation, and vitamin C. We recommend storing Japanese tea in a cool, dark place away from humidity, strong light, and strong odors.