Tea Appreciation: Batabatacha

Batabatacha (ばたばた茶 or バタバタ茶) is a post-fermented dark tea from Japan and bears the closest similarity to Chinese dark teas like puerh.  Post-fermented or dark teas are called ato-hakkou (後発酵).  "Batabata" refers to the swishing and clattering of the whisk.  Traditionally, it is prepared as a whisked tea or furicha (振り茶) on special occasions such as weddings and death anniversaries and for guests, though it is also enjoyed with meals as an unwhisked tea.

History
Batabatacha was officially introduced in Japan at Shingon Honsenji Temple around 1427.  The process was Chinese in origin and is believed to have been in use in Japan well before 1472.

Region
Batabatacha is produced in Asahi in Toyama Prefecture and is a specialty of Niigata Prefecture and Toyama Prefecture.  It was also produced in Fukui Prefecture, though production ended there in 1976.

Harvesting/Processing
Bancha tea leaves are harvested in early-August and steamed until the color changes from green to yellow-brown and oxidation is stopped.  Next, the leaves are dried for half a day, then stored in a box to ferment in temperatures no greater than 140°F/60 °C for just over 3 weeks.  During this time they will be agitated every few days, loosening the leaves to assist with the fermentation process.  Finally, the leaves are shade-dried for a half day and then sun-dried for 2 to 3 days.

Variations
Botebotecha (ぼてぼて茶) - In Shimane Prefecture, shade-dried tea harvested in late-Autumn is boiled and whisked.  Then black beans, red rice, and chopped pickles are added and the tea is ready to eat.

Bukubukucha (ブクブク茶) - In Okinawa, roasted rice and oolong tea are boiled together, poured into a large 30cm bowl and whisked to a high froth, the froth is transferred to the top of cups that have been filled with jasmine or sencha tea, then crushed peanuts are sprinkled on top before serving.

Hikicha (挽き茶) - Sun-dried bancha is ground, prepared with hot water and a pinch of salt, and whisked before serving.  In Nara, hikicha is traditionally served in temples and when entertaining guests.

Okecha (桶茶) - A specialty in northern Aichi Prefecture.  Tea leaves are boiled, poured into a wooden tub called a chaoke (茶桶) along with a pinch of salt, and whisked before serving.

Preparation
Traditional:  Add tea leaves to boiling water and simmer anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours, pour into a tea bowl, add a pinch of salt, whisk left to right (not up and down as you would with matcha) briskly until frothy, and serve.  The whisking brings out a mellower flavor.

Traditionally, the tea is whisked in a tea bowl slightly smaller than a matcha chawan called a gorohachi chawan (五郎八茶碗) with a batabata chasen (バタバタ茶​筅) which is two long bamboo whisks bundled together.

Alternate:  Add boiling water to the tea leaves and steep for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Tea Appreciation: Goishicha

Goishicha (碁石茶) is a post-fermented Japanese tea. The tea takes its name from its resemblance to goishi, the stone playing pieces in the board game called Go.  Post-fermented or dark teas are called ato-hakkou (後発酵).

History
Goishicha is believed to have first appeared in Japan during the 18th century. Originally, the corners of the tea were rounded after drying, more closely resembling go stones, and the tea was allowed to age several years before consumption.

Production of goishicha was at its height as a tea export during the late 19th century to early 20th century before demand dropped off and, by 1966 only 13 tea farms producing the tea remained with only one person producing goishicha by 1975. Thanks to renewed interest, there are now several goishicha producers.

Region
Goishicha is produced almost exclusively in Otoya in Kochi Prefecture.

Harvesting/Processing
Bancha tea leaves are harvested in mid-July. The leaves are steamed for 1 to 2 hours and the juices are saved for the second step in the fermentation process. For the first stage, the leaves are covered and stored for 7 to 10 days to allow aerobic fermentation to develop. For the second stage, the leaves and the juices from the steaming process are added to a barrel, weighed down, and stored for 10 to 20 days during which Lactobacillales (lactic bacteria acid) will develop. Then the leaves are stacked and cut in 2.5cm by 4 cm rectangles.   Finally, the tea is dried in the sun.

Preparation
Heat water to 208°F/98°C, add 1 piece of goishicha, and steep for 4-5 minutes before serving. Goishicha may also be served cold and has been used as an ingredient in rice porridge.

Tea Appreciation: Ishizuchi Kurocha

Ishizuchi Kurocha (石鎚黒茶) is a post-fermented Japanese tea.  The first part of the name references Mount Ishizuchi in Ehime and kurocha means black-colored tea, not to be mistaken for kocha which is black tea.  Post-fermented or dark teas are called ato-hakkou (後発酵).

History
Ishizuchi Kurocha has been produced for centuries.  Locals rarely drank it, except during seasonal events and when served to visitors.  The tea was sold in bulk to shippers from Setouchi for use as a beverage, as an ingredient in porridge, and as a dye for fishing nets and other textiles  In the 1950s, chemical dyes became popular and demand for the tea decreased significantly.

Until recently, the only person in Japan who knew how to produce Ishizuchi Kurocha was Mr. Masaki Sogabe.  Mr. Sogabe retired several years ago around the age of 90.  Concerned that the process might be lost, Satsuki-kai (さつき会), a life research group based in Saijo, learned the process and began producing Tengu Kurocha (天狗黒茶) which takes its name from Tengu peak on Mount Ishizuchi.

Region
Ishizuchi Kurocha is produced in Komatsu, now part of Saijo in Ehime Prefecture.  Attempts are currently being made to produce Kurocha in Hinohara village near Tokyo, with the approval of Mr. Sogabe.

Harvesting/Processing
Ishizuchi Kurocha is produced in very small quantities.  In mid-summer, tea plant branches are cut, washed, and then steamed.  During the steaming, the leaves will fall from the branches and be gathered for a two-step fermentation process.  For the first stage, the leaves are stored in wooden boxes for four to five days during which it will develop aerobic fungi.  For the second stage, the leaves will be removed and hand-rolled before being stored in plastic bags to ferment for two to three weeks during which Lactobacillales (lactic bacteria acid) will develop.  Finally, the tea leaves are dried in the sun for two to three days.  The fermentation process also produces organic amino acids like GABA.

Preparation
Add 3 grams of tea leaves to 12 ounces of boiling water and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes before serving.  Ishizuchi Kurocha may also be served cold.

Tea Appreciation: Awa bancha

Awa bancha (阿波晩茶) is a fermented Japanese tea.  Awa is the name of an old province in Tokushima and bancha means "evening tea" in reference to its late harvest.

Region
Most Awa bancha produced in Japan comes from Tokushima and Fukuoka where the climate is suitable for Lactobacillales (lactic acid bacteria) to develop during the fermentation process.

Processing
Bancha tea leaves are harvested in mid-July by hand or with a trimmer, then sorted.  Next, the leaves are boiled for approximately 10 minutes until they become discolored and oxidation has been stopped.  After boiling, they are mashed manually or by machine.  Then the leaves are pressed and placed in sealed containers where they will ferment and develop lactic acid bacteria over a period of 2 to 3 weeks. Finally, the leaves are dried for one day in the sun.

Preparation
Traditional:  Add 5 grams of tea leaves to a 1 liter pot of boiling water and simmer for 2 minutes before serving.

Alternate:  Add boiling water to the tea leaves and steep for 5 minutes before serving.

The resulting infusion will have a pickled aroma and mildly tart taste.

Tea Appreciation: Kocha

Kocha (紅茶) is fully-oxidized black tea and Wakocha (和紅茶) is black tea from Japan.  Kocha means "red tea", indicating the color of the liquor in the cup.  "Wa" means Japan and differentiates black teas produced locally to imported teas.

History
In 1874, the Meiji government ordered Japanese tea growers to study Chinese black tea production methods, hoping it would become a major export similar to Indian black tea.  Motokichi Tada was sent by the government to China and India and returned to Japan in 1877 and official black tea production began in 1881.  Unfortunately, Japanese black tea never reached a quality that could compete and the project came to a close in 1971 when restrictions on black tea imports were removed.

The first annual black tea summit took place in 2002 in Tottori when only 30 tea farms were producing kocha.  Currently there are over 300 tea farms producing kocha across Japan.

Processing
Almost any cultivar can be used with Benifuuki, Yabukita, and Okumidor being the most common.

The tea leaves are withered, rolled to break down the cell walls for maximum oxidation, then dried.

Preparation
Heat water to 208°F/98°C and steep for 3-5 minutes before serving.  Most Wakocha is mellow enough to serve without milk or sugar.

Tea Appreciation: Japanese Oolong Tea

Oolong (ウーロン茶, 烏龍茶) is semi-oxidized tea ranging from greener and more floral to dark and roasted. Oolong, alternately spelled wulong, means "black dragon tea" and is sometimes called blue tea in reference to its status between green and black teas.

Processing
Most of the oolong tea in Japan is imported from China and much of that is bottled.  However, Japanese tea growers have been experimenting with and refining oolong tea production since the late 1970s.

Region
Oolong production in Japan is very limited with most coming from Kyushu including Miyazaki prefecture, Kagoshima prefecture, and Kumamoto prefecture and from the Kansai region including Kyoto, Uji and Saga prefecture.  Miyazaki prefecture specializes in kamairi (pan-fired) oolong.

Preparation
Heat water to 175°F/79°C for greener oolong or 195°F/90°C for darker oolong and steep for 2-3 minutes before serving.  Using more tea leaves will produce more flavorful results.

Tea Appreciation: Kamairicha

Kamairicha (釜炒り茶) is pan-fired Japanese green tea and only accounts for up to 5% of the tea produced in Japan.  The name is a literal translation of the drying process.  Kama (釜) = pan/pot, iri (炒り) = fired/roasted, and cha (茶) = tea.

History
The pan-firing process in Japan dates back to either the early 15th or 16th century.  When a priest named Eirin Shuzui brought tea seeds from Soshu Reigangi Temple in China to Yame in Fukuoka Prefecture, he may have introduced the process.  Other accounts suggest that a Chinese man named Ko Reimin introduced the process in Ureshino in Saga Prefecture almost a century later.  The more ubiquitous process of steaming leaves would be developed later, in the 18th century.

Region
Most kamairicha is produced in southwestern prefectures in Kyushu, including Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Oita, and Saga.

Processing
Freshly plucked leaves are fired in an iron pan or kettle for approximately ten minutes at 570°F/300°C-840°F/450°C to stop oxidation.  The leaves are then rolled and given a final drying.  Today this process is largely automated and less frequently done by hand.  As a result of the firing process, the leaves usually take on a comma shape and have a flavor profile similar to Chinese teas, sweeter, milder, and less astringent than sencha.

Variations
Pan-fired teas in Japan were originally called Tōcha (唐茶), a name given to teas from China, before becoming known as kamairicha.

Kamairicha and tamaryokucha (玉緑茶) or guricha (ぐり茶) are basically the same except that tamaryokucha can be steamed as well as pan-fired.

Kamairi tamaryokucha (釜炒り玉緑茶) also called kamaguri (釜ぐり) is the most common variation.

Kamanobicha (釜伸び茶), meaning pan-stretched tea, is kamairicha rolled into a needle shape similar to sencha.

Preparation
Heat water to 160°F/71°C-175°F/79°C and steep for 1-2 minutes before serving.  Kamairicha is more forgiving than sencha, so it may also be prepared with slightly higher water temperatures.

Tea Appreciation: Gyokuro

Gyokuro (玉露) is a shade-grown Japanese green tea.  Due to a limited harvest time and specialized production, it's one of the most expensive teas in Japan.

History
The process of shading tea plants in Japan dates back to the 16th century.  Later, in 1835, Yamamotoyama tea company president Yamamoto Kahei introduced the process for producing a specialized variety of shaded tea that he named gyokuro, meaning jade dew.

Growing
Gyokuro is mainly produced in Joyoshi, Okabe, Uji (the oldest gyokuro producing region), and Yame which produces over 40% of the gyokuro in Japan.  It can be produced from several tea plant cultivars, with Asahi being most common, followed by Okumidori, Saemidori, Yamakai, and sometimes Yabukita, the cultivar from which most sencha is produced.  In a process similar to tencha, the tea plants are shaded with tana or jikagise for 20-30 days before harvesting.   Tana uses a framework to suspend mesh cloth over the tea plants and jikagise uses mesh cloth laid directly over the tea plants.  These methods reduce the sunlight by 80-90% and force the young leaves to work harder to grow, producing more chlorophyll, more amino acids like L-theanine, and fewer bitter tannins.  The results are sweeter and milder than unshaded teas like sencha.

Harvesting, Processing
Shade-grown leaves are delicate and require careful handling.  They are lightly steamed, rolled, dried, and rolled again to bring out the appropriate shape and flavor.  Then the leaves will be sorted and graded before they are left to rest and develop.

Preparation
Use up to twice as many tea leaves as you would for sencha, approximately 5 grams or 2 teaspoons.

Heat water to 122°F/50°C-140°F/60°C and steep for 90 seconds to 2 minutes for the first infusion.  Repeat, steeping 30 seconds to 1 minute for up to 4 more infusions.

Higher grade gyokuro, especially those ranked by the National tea jury, should be steeped at a much lower temperature around 104°F/40 °C.

The spent leaves can be flavored with soy sauce or ponzu sauce and eaten.

Tea Appreciation: Houjicha

Houjicha (ほうじ茶) is a roasted Japanese green tea.  The roasted flavor is sometimes to compared with coffee and hojicha is often served at breakfast.  Since the caffeine content is low, it can be easily be enjoyed in the evenings, unlike other green teas.  Note that the romanized name will be spelled as "houjicha" (more accurate) and "hojicha" by tea sellers in Japan as well as those in the west.

History
Houjicha quickly gained popularity after it was introduced in the 1920s by tea merchants in Kyoto who began roasting green tea with charcoal.  This made use of parts of the tea plant that might otherwise go to waste after harvesting.

Processing
Green tea is roasted in a drum roaster, over wood fire, or over charcoal.  The roasting process lowers caffeine and reduces astringency, as well as changing the color of the tea leaves from green to red-brown,

Variations
Houjicha is most commonly made from late-harvest bancha, though it can also be made from twigs and stems to produce kagaboucha (加賀棒茶), houjiboucha (ほうじ棒茶), and houji-kukicha (ほうじ茎茶), as well as from early-harvest sencha.

Asairi Houjicha (浅炒りほうじ茶) is lighly roasted, retaining some of the original green color and flavor.

For culinary use, there is houjicha powder.

Preparation
Heat water to 175°F/79°C-185°F/85°C and steep for 1-2 minutes before serving. Roasted leaves weigh less, so more leaves may be used than with other green teas.  Since houjicha is mellow and low in astringency, it's safe to experiment with longer steeping times.

Tea Appreciation: Sencha

Sencha (煎茶) is a Japanese green tea (ryokucha/緑茶) that represents 80% of the tea consumed in Japan.

History
In the first half of the 18th century, a monk by the name of Baisao popularized sencha by traveling around Kyoto and selling tea.  He prepared his sencha (boiled tea) by added loose tea leaves to boiling water before serving.  A tea grower acquaintance was inspired by this new demand for non-powdered teas to develop the distinctive rolled needle shape of sencha.  Following Baisao's death, hocha (hot water poured over leaves) was introduced, as well as a formalized tea ceremony dedicated to sencha called Senchado (煎茶道).

Growing, Harvesting, Processing
Sencha is grown in direct sunlight, developing higher levels of vitamin c and tannin than shaded teas.  The leaves are harvested in early April to late May and are steamed within the first 20 hours of plucking.  Steaming generally takes 15-20 seconds and stops oxidation to retain color, aroma, and nutrients.  Next, the leaves will be rolled to soften them, breaking the cell walls to develop and release flavor, and forming the distinctive needle shape.  The leaves will then be dried and sorted.  Buds, stems, and fannings will be separated, as well as larger, tougher leaves which will become bancha.  The remaining needle-shaped tea leaves will be sorted by size and shape.

Variations/Grades

Shincha (新茶) or ichibancha (一番茶):  Shincha, meaning "new tea" (or ichibancha, meaning "first tea") is harvested in early April to mid-May.  The first tea harvest tends to be sweeter and less astringent than later harvests, with lower caffeine and more amino acids.

Hachijuhachiya (八十八夜):  Sencha harvested 88 days and nights after Setsubun/Risshun, the first day of Spring.  

Asamushicha (浅蒸し茶): Sencha, lightly steamed for 15-30 seconds.  This is the most common length of steaming for sencha.

Chumushicha (中蒸し茶):  Sencha, mid-steamed for 30 seconds to 1.5 minutes.

Fukamushicha (深蒸し茶):  Sencha, deep-steamed for 1-2 minutes.

Kabusecha (かぶせ茶):  Sencha, shaded for up to two weeks to bring out a more delicate taste, higher amino acids, and a darker leaf color than unshaded sencha.  Not to be mistaken for gyokuro which has a longer shading period.

Jo Sencha (上煎茶):  High-grade sencha, usually made from the newest, most tender leaves.

Toku Jo Sencha (特上煎茶):  Premium sencha, made from the first plucking and the newest, most tender leaves.

Preparation
Heat water to  to 175°F/79°C and steep for 1-2 minutes before serving.  

For more delicate sencha like fukamushi or kabusecha, a shorter steeping time or lower temperature may bring out the best flavor.

Tea Appreciation: Kukicha

Kukicha (茎茶) or boucha (棒茶) is a Japanese green tea made from the twigs and stems of the tea plant.  The stems have a higher concentration of amino acids like L-theanine and fewer tannins, giving kukicha a sweeter, less bitter taste than other teas.  The stems also have lower caffeine content than tea leaves.

Growing, Harvesting, Processing
Kukicha is very versatile as it can be produced from almost any tea plant, shaded or unshaded, at any time during the harvest season. The twigs and stems are separated from the leaves by machine during processing.

Variations
Kukicha can be roasted or left green, blended in genmaicha (green tea with roasted brown rice) and blended with tea leaves.

Kagaboucha (加賀棒茶), houjiboucha (ほうじ棒茶), and houji-kukicha (ほうじ茎茶) are all names for roasted kukicha.

Karigane (雁ヶ音/雁が音) is the name for kukicha produced from gyokuro or high-grade sencha in the Kansai region around Kyoto.

Shiraore (白折) is the name for kukicha produced from the first harvest of gyokuro or high-grade sencha in provinces within the Kyushu region.

Note that some macrobiotic publications list roasted kukicha as simply "kukicha", as this may cause confusion when buying tea.

Preparation
Kukicha should be prepared at temperatures and times you would use for the tea leaves from the same plant.

For karigane or shiraore: Heat water to 140°F/60°C-160°F/71°C and steep for 1-2 minutes before serving.

For regular or roasted kukicha: Heat water to 175°F/79°C-185°F/85°C and steep for 1-2 minutes before serving. Kukicha is generally inexpensive and forgiving, so don't be afraid to experiment with time and temperature to bring out the best flavor.

Tea Appreciation: Tencha

Tencha (碾茶) is the Japanese green tea that is ground into powdered tea called matcha.  The process to harvest and produce tencha and then to produce small quantities of matcha is very costly, so a large percentage of the "matcha" sold outside Japan is actually powdered sencha, which tends to be more astringent.

Growing
Tencha tea plants will typically receive three times more fertilizer than other tea plants.  In mid-April, 20-30 days before an early-to-mid-May harvest, tencha plants are shaded with tana, a framework covered with mesh cloth.  With 90% of the sunlight filtered out, the leaves work harder to grow, producing more chlorophyll, more amino acids like L-theanine, and fewer bitter tannins.  The results are sweeter and milder than unshaded teas like sencha.

Harvesting, Processing, and Evaluation
Typically, three leaves and a bud are plucked and the tencha will be harvested, processed, and stored within 24 hours.  The leaves are steamed and dried to become aracha (rough tea).  Then, the veins and stems are removed and the leaves are cut to a uniform size to become shiagecha (refined tea).  Unlike other teas, tencha is dried flat with no rolling.  Most green teas are rolled to break down the cell walls of the leaf, increasing oxidation and the release of enzymes responsible for the character of the tea.  Since tencha will be stored before being ground into matcha, there is no need to begin the oxidation process early.  Because matcha begins degrading soon after it is ground, tencha is used for evaluation and grading purposes.

Final Processing and Availability
Tencha can be produced from many different cultivars and varieties of tencha can be blended to produce qualities specific to a named or branded matcha.  Tea companies will store the tencha, sometimes giving it an additional drying, before grinding in small batches so the matcha will be fresh when it's ready for sale.  While all tencha can become matcha,  only higher grade tencha can be brewed with desirable results.  Due to scarcity, tencha can be difficult to find for sale, even in Japan.

Preparation
Tencha is prepared similar to gyokuro at a slightly lower temperature than sencha.  Heat water to 140°F/60°C-160°F/71°C and steep for 1-2 minutes before serving.  The leaves tend to float, so you may need to use something to push them down and extract their full flavor.  The results will be light and rich with umami with similarities to matcha in flavor and aroma.