Wakocha Japanese Black Tea

Description

Wakocha Japanese Black Tea

Wakocha Japanese Black Tea, or just Wakocha, (sometimes spelled Wakoucha) has a long history in Japan. Most of us know Japan for their green tea, but they have produced black tea for almost 200 years. It’s still considered a rare tea. Its production is rather limited, so wakocha commands a higher price. Unlike black tea from India, Sri Lanka and other traditional black tea countries, the tea cultivars used in Japan are also used to produce green tea. The process to dry, roll and oxidize the green tea into a black tea are similar to what is used in standard black tea production, but the result is a lighter flavor and scent, slightly floral, without the astringency of their Indian cousins. It’s a tea you need to sip to be appreciated.

Many tea cultivars are used to produce wakocha, each having their own taste, color and characteristics. The cultivar in our Wakocha is Yutaka Midori from the Kagoshima Prefecture. It has a lighter, smoother taste and scent than a traditional English black tea, with a lighter, reddish, coppery color. The flavor is fresh, with an almost winey finish as some will say. We just like it for not being too bold and a delightful change from stronger British teas. It’s smooth enough you will want to sip it without any additions.

Japanese black tea was originally produced for export to compete with Indian, Sri Lankan and other black tea countries, but was adopted by and then embraced over the years to the point where there are families which only produce black tea. There are tea houses which only serve black tea, so it’s considered a specialty tea.

We have other Japanese teas, such as our Fukamushi, Sencha Kakagawa, Genmaicha, Gyokuro, and Matcha to name a few. We have a large selection of flavored green teas, as well as a full compliment of traditional Black Teas, including traditional English Breakfast and Earl Grey.

Steeping Instructions
Even though Wakocha is an oxidized black tea, steep it more like a green tea, letting the water cool a bit below boiling, to about 195ºF or so. This keeps the tea from becoming bitter.

Hot Tea Steeping Instructions: Put 1 heaping teaspoon of loose tea for each 8oz of water in your tea cup or teapot. Using a tea infuser to hold the tea makes it easier. Boil water, let cool for a minute, then pour over the tea. Steep for 3 to 5 minutes. Milk and Sugar are not recommended as it is a lighter, more delicate flavor.

Contains: Japanese Black Tea