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“A winter harvest bancha tea, heavily roasted. The leaves are large, broken, rustic in appearance with some leaves blackened, burnt even, while others remain olive green. Same goes for the stems...” Read full tasting note
Of all the traditional regional banchas that are still being produced today in Japan, Kyô-bancha, also known as iri-bancha, is undoubtedly the most famous. It comes from Kyôto, and has its origins in Uji-tawara.
For this very popular tea, leaves from the mid-section of tea trees are used, and for the tea I am offering you they were winter leaves. They are steamed and then dried in the sun. After further drying by machine, they are very strongly roasted, which gives them their characteristic smoky scent.
This bancha’s fragrances combine strong smoky notes with a light vegetal touch, and an impression recalling incense. Despite that strongly present, captivating fragrance, this tea remains very mellow in the mouth. Smoky aromas are dominant, but the liquor is supple and fluid, with a touch of sweetness and umami, which remains pleasantly in the aftertaste.
This is a bancha that can be called typical, yet, for those who like smoky scents, it is a very refreshing tea that can be drunk in large quantities at any time of day.
Brewing suggestion
Quantity of leaves: 3g Quantity of water : 150-200ml / 5-6.7 oz Water temperature : 100°C / 212°F Brewing time : 60sType of tea : bancha
Origin : Uji-tawara town, Tsuzuki district, Kyôto prefecture
Cultivar : Yabukita
A winter harvest bancha tea, heavily roasted. The leaves are large, broken, rustic in appearance with some leaves blackened, burnt even, while others remain olive green. Same goes for the stems which are included in higher proportion than any other Japanese tea I’ve had excluding kukicha or kuki-hojicha.
The easiest way to describe the type of smokiness and other qualities of the tea is to make a comparison. If you could bottle the essence of charred summer squash or chayote and corn husk with stray blackened kernels all with their steaming, gentle nutty-vegetal sweetness, this tea would be it. The liquor is silky smooth and carries the smoke quality with a deft touch across the palate. The char aroma is strong but for me it does not overwhelm at all. I find it comforting, like bringing a part of summer with me into depths of fall.
A refined tea this is not, however I want to say that whoever grew and processed this tea absolutely knows what they are doing. It brews consistently every time with boiling water. It is a functional tea made by a skilled craftsman.
For the price, I can’t think of a cheaper, more reliable tea to drink as I hopefully transition out of a time frame that’s left me questioning my sanity. This tea is gently grounding and refreshing. I am very to grateful to have it at my table.
Flavors: Burnt, Corn Husk, Grilled Food, Nutty, Silky, Smoke, Smooth, Squash Blossom, Sweet, Sweet Corn, Tangy, Zucchini
Teas made by people who know what they’re doing. That is a comforting description. I love it.
It is a comforting description! Derk’s vivid description of the Tie Luo Han 铁罗汉 was awesome too. Gave me the feelys lol. Love it.
Agreed, not every good tea needs to be expensive. I had Tillerman’s Sweet Scented Dong Ding recently and thought basically the same thing, that this is a tea made by someone who knows what he’s doing.