KABUSECHA SAEKARI ORGANIC CERTIFIED 2024

Kabusecha produced in Hioki, Kagoshima in southern Japan in April 2024.

What is a Kabusecha: Kabusecha is a type of Sencha produced with leaves that have been shaded a few days before harvest, on average 7 or 8 days, using shading nets generally placed directly on the tea plants to partially shade them from the sun. This shading forces the plant to draw nutrients from the earth to protect itself. This increases the umami, bittersweet flavors, when tasting, this is also verified visually, the leaves are darker and shiny than a classic sencha. Generally less astringent than a Sencha but less umami than a Gyokuro, Kabusecha can be an accessible high-end green tea that will appeal to as many people as possible.

The cultivar: Relatively recent, this cultivar is a close cross of the well-known saemidori, hence its name Sae. Kari comes from its very green, luminous color, hikari meaning light in Japanese. The flavors are very interesting, with umami and flavors of seeds or nuts characteristic of saemidori, but also with vegetables, asparagus or other green vegetables.

Infusion advice: This is a high-end tea and we strongly recommend respecting the basic dosages as well as using quality water to infuse this tea.

Quality water will be very weakly mineralized water. Check the dry residue on the label of the water you wish to use, a value between 20 and 100mg/L will be suitable. That said, this is not an infallible rule, some waters at 130mg/L work well (Volvic) while others below 100mg/L have less good results. Quite famous and inexpensive water is the source of the Grand Barbier which you will find at Carrefour.

Brew small amounts of tea in a small container. The ideal would be a teapot between 20 and 30cl maximum. Place 5 to 8g of leaves for 1 minute of infusion with water at 70 degrees