Description
Kouju Japanese Oolong - 2026 Spring Harvest Tea, Naturally grown with no synthetic pesticeds or fertilizers.
Origin: Gokase Town, Nishiusuki County, Miyazaki Prefecture
Cultivar: Kouju, an offspring of Kurasawa and Kanayamidori lineage. The characters for Koushun, 香駿, meaning "Fragrance - Swift", actually refer to the first character in the place name "Suruga," (駿河) in Shizuoka Prefecture, where this cultivar was developed.
The dry leaves are a light blue-green and loosely curled. It infuses to a light-ivory colored broth with a delicate floral aroma, plus light woodsy notes from the roasting process. It is light-bodied and smooth to drink, with finishing notes of sweet clover and citrus peel. And, as with most Oolong, this tea can yield multiple infusions (5-6) beyond that of a Sencha (typically 3-4), making it a good value.
Gokase is a well-known tea region within Miyazaki Prefecture. It lies at high elevations, between 600 and 750 meters, and has the wide day-night temperature variations ideal for tea production. While Japanese Oolong is a relatively new tea on the market, roasting tea and withering tea are certainly not new techniques to Japanese tea growers and manufacturers. Miyazaki ranks fourth nationally in overall tea production volume, but first in Kamairicha, or pan-fired teas. A long history of pan-firing techniques has also made Miyazaki, and Gokase in particular, a recent innovator and leader in Oolong and Black Tea production as well.