Mayucha (pronounced my-yoo-CHA) is fresh and alive with flavor. This extra fine Japanese sencha carries a buttery note, very deep richness, and sweet after-taste. It is difficult to find sencha of this quality in the states; we feel truly honored to share it with you.
It is a spring-plucked, 'nibancha' (second plucking of the season) tea. The leaves produced are uneven in size, a completely undesirable characteristic in Indian or Sri Lankan, but relatively unimportant for Japanese teas, as they grade according to flavor quality. The broken leaf style is the result of the Fukamushi (deep-steaming) process that some Japanese Senchas undergo and belies the amazingly rich, wonderful flavor it produces. During the final processing step, our producer fires the tea at a higher temperature than other Sencha makers, which - in part - gives Mayucha it's deep, brothy, Umami flavor. The Japanese term for this increased-temperature firing is 'hi-ire' (hee EE-ray). Additionally, the fine broken particles resulting from the Fukamushi process end up suspended in the brew, which is what gives the tea's liquor a deep, almost neon green color.
Sencha, in general, is the most commonly drunk - and produced - tea in Japan, where green tea comprises over 99% of production. A very small percentage of black tea is produced in Japan, as well as a tiny, tiny contingency of oolong teas which we finally had the honor of sampling during a November, 2013, visit to Kagoshima and Shizuoka prefectures, as part of a tea-sourcing tour.
How to brew the perfect cup:
Water: 170°F / Leaves: 1-1.5 teaspoon per 8 ounces / Infusion Time: 2-3 minutes
Ingredients: Superior Grade Japanese Green Tea.