SHIZUOKA KAWANE OOLONG JAPONAIS
Categorie: Thé Oolong (thé bleu)
Origine: JAPON, Préfecture de Shizuoka, ville de Kawane.
Cultivar: Sae Akari
Quantité: 30g per pack
Harvest: Spring (May)
Région:
Kawane-cho 川根町 is an old town located on the Oi River and is one of the most famous prestigious location for the production of high-quality mountain teas, mostly Sencha.
The road to Kawane is picturesque and beautiful. Located just south of the splendid mountains of the Japanese Southern Alps, the mountains climate provides high rainfall, cool nights and fog. The soil is porous and aerated. The tea plantations in question have a slight slope, providing a good irrigation.
Description:
Japanese Oolong teas are quite a rarity and were never purposely developed even in old times. Japan has always been focused on making green teas, Matcha being the most representative of all.
Even red teas (called black in occident) were made at the end of the 19th century but were exclusively for export to Russia, Europe and North America. As such Oolong teas are almost inexistent in Japan and for the few that were developed in the last 30 years were at best average.
However, a few passionate and talented tea producers have been working diligently to create a Japanese Oolong tea which is not an imitation of other notorious Oolong teas and can stand proudly on its own.
This craft was made for the first time using the Sae Akari cultivar. Sae Akari is a rarity, obtained from breeding Sae Midori (created in Kagoshima) with another rare unregistered cultivar called Z1. It is usually used to make high end gyokuro and it delivers even better in its Oolong form (partially oxidized).
Préparation:
4g (0.14oz) of leaves per serving
80ml of water at 70°C (158°F) per serving
First brew: 50 seconds
Subsequent brews: 10-15 seconds