JAPANESE GREEN AND SPECIALTY TEAS: “Ryu” Care Package 0.1 g

Tea (茶 or cha) is intertwined with Japanese culture and enjoyed at almost every occasion in Japan, from daily life to the traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

Although the majority of tea produced in Japan is green tea, the country also boasts a wide range of specialty teas, which have been curated for you in this Care Package.

Includes an in-depth English brochure with product descriptions, producer stories, brewing suggestions and full-color recipes. 

TRADITIONAL GREEN TEAS

MOUNTAIN SENCHA GREEN TEA (Certified Organic)
Prefecture: Kochi
Producer: Kunitomo Farm
Ingredients: Green tea (Caffeine) 
Size: 2 x 3g loose leaf packages

This rare, certified organic sencha green tea is grown and cultivated by hand deep in the mountains of Shikoku Island. Known as yamacha, or mountain tea, it has a delicate sweetness and a mild astringency. 

GENMAICHA (BROWN RICE TEA) WITH MATCHA (Certified Organic)
Prefecture: Kyoto
Producer: Azuma Chaen
Ingredients: Green tea (sencha and matcha from Uji, Kyoto), glutinous brown rice (domestic) (Caffeine)
Size: 40g loose leaf
 

This genmaicha (brown rice tea) is a blend of hand-roasted brown mochi rice, Uji green tea and matcha, the prized powdered tea traditionally used in the Japanese tea ceremony. The result is a savory, toasted tasting tea with sweet, earthy undertones.

HOUJICHA (ROASTED SENCHA GREEN TEA) (Certified Organic)
Prefecture: Kyoto
Producer: Azuma Chaen
Ingredients: Green tea (from Uji, Kyoto) (Less caffeine)
Size: 50g loose leaf

Houjicha is made by roasting green tea leaves in a porcelain pot over charcoal. The leaves have a distinct earthy, reddish-brown color, resulting in a tea with a nutty, caramel-like flavor. It has minimal caffeine and is less bitter than other green teas.

SPECIALTY TEAS

SOBACHA (BUCKWHEAT TEA) 
Prefecture: Niigata
Producer: Ichikara Farms
Ingredients: Buckwheat (Caffeine-Free)
Size: 80g 

This sobacha (buckwheat tea) is made from whole roasted buckwheat which creates a full-bodied buttery and toasted nut-like flavor. After drinking the tea, the nutritious leftover buckwheat can be enjoyed as a nutty porridge or on top of yogurt, or can even be eaten straight from the bag as a healthy snack.

SHELL GINGER TEA
Prefecture: Okinawa
Producer: Ishigakijima Healthy Bank
Ingredients: Getto (Okinawa shell ginger) (Caffeine-Free)
Size: 2 x 1.5g tea bags

Shell ginger is part of the ginger family and grows in abundance in Okinawa, Japan's southernmost tropical islands. The tea has a beautiful golden brown color and carries floral and clove undertones. It has a subtle spicy ginger aftertaste and 34 times more polyphenols than red wine. Some say that it's the secret to the Okinawan's longevity!

GOISHICHA (FERMENTED TEA)
Prefecture: Kochi
Producer: Otoyo-cho Goishicha Cooperation
Ingredients: Yabukita (Japanese green tea), local mountain tea leaves (Caffeine)
Size: 6 x 1.5g tea bags

This goishicha is a rare type of fermented tea cultivated in the mountainous region of Shikoku Island. Once harvested, the tea leaves are steamed for almost three hours then fermented twice, before being dried in the sun for several days. The entire process takes nearly two months and results is a smooth, mellow tea with low astringency and bitterness.

INDIGO BLUE TEA
Prefecture: Nagasaki
Producer: Atelier Aiakane
Ingredients: Indigo stem and leaves, butterfly pea (Caffeine-Free)
Size: 2 x 2.5g tea bags

Made famous in Japan, indigo also goes by the name of "Japanese blue", and is most commonly recognized as a vibrant blue fabric dye. However, in a quiet village overlooking a picturesque blue ocean, Atelier Aiakane combines indigo stalks and leaves with butterfly-pea flower tea, to create this caffeine-free herbal tea that is floral in taste and stunning to see! 

KUROMAMECHA (BLACK SOYBEAN TEA)
Prefecture: Hokkaido
Producer: A-Net Farm
Ingredients: Black soybean (Hokkaido) (Caffeine-Free)
Size: 7 x 3g tea bags

Kuromamecha is a nutty, sweet tea made from roasted black soybeans known as kuromame. Produced in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost prefecture, the black soybeans found in this tea are plump and flavorful producing an aromatic and gentle sweetness.