Description
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Sashima Izumi Special 2023 WaKoucha (Japanese Black Tea)/Oolong; Nagano-en Tea farm, Sakai-machi, Ibaraki, 50g. 2023 2nd Harvest This aged Black Tea using the somewhat rare Izumi cultivar was a serendipitous accident. The natural fertilizer seemed to have damaged the leaves that season, but Hanamizu-san used a strong roasting technique to revive them into a unique tea. It has become even more special with aging. The large flat leaves infuse to a clear golden amber color with a smoky (think Lapsang Souchong) roasted aroma that is reminiscent of leather. It has full rounded body and a light sweetness of honey, dark cherry, and bitter chocolate. The balance of sweetness and astringency leans more astringent than the regular 2025 Izumi WaKoucha, which leans more toward sweet. The finish is lightly astringent. Definitely, a black tea to drink straight. The teas made by Hanamizu Michio of Nagano-en Tea Farm are complex and unique. When I mentioned to him that his black teas reminded me of the darker end of the Taiwanese Oolong spectrum, or of lighter Chinese Black Teas (vs the Assam-type Black Teas that make up much of the Japanese WaKoucha offerings); he informed that he had studied Oolong production in Taiwan and also uses some Chinese production equipment and technique. The Nagano-en Tea Farm was established in the post-WWII Agrarian Reform Period. Nagano Kanmochi, and his son Kanji, cleared their land in Sashima, Ibaraki, to start growing tea. By the 1970's domestic demand for tea was beginning to slump and then head of the farm Nagano Motoaki had to diversify into other ventures. When his daughter, Akiko, married Hanamizu Michio, they decided to revive the tea farm in 2009, and also opened a tea cafe in 2020. Now, he's earning awards for his innovative teas. Sashima-gun (Sashima District) is in the southwestern part of Ibaraki Prefecture, near the intersections of Ibaraki, Chiba, Saitama, Gumma, and Tochigi Prefectures, and just slightly northeast of Tokyo. Tea cultivation in the region goes back to the early 1600's, but not until the 1800's did the modern tea productions methods, similar to those used today, begin with a man named Nakayama Motonari, often called the "Father of Sashima Tea". After Japan was (forcibly) opened to trade with the U.S. in the 1850's, teas from Sashima were the first to be exported to the U.S. in 1859, via the newly opened Port of Yokohama. It was through Nakayama's connections in the capital that Sashima tea was able to have this distinction. |