AWA BANCHA - ANAEROBICALLY FERMENTED DARK TEA

Awa Bancha | 阿波晩茶

Type: Dark
Sub-Type:  Anaerobic Fermentation
Origin: Naka-Cho, Tokushima, Japan
GPS: 34° 48’ N | 134° 28’ E
Grower: Ikawa, 3rd generation tea grower 

Notes:  kombu, straw, hints of hibiscus

If you’re cool with funky (in a good way) teas, you should give this a try. Thick leaves are harvested in the heat of summer; they are subsequently boiled, kneaded and fermented 3-4 weeks in old cedar barrels, before being dried under scorching sun.

The result is a pickled tea that is reminiscent of an infusion of kelp and hibiscus: devoid of bitterness (even after over-steeping), with a pleasant tart note and minerality.