Nara Black

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Black Tea
Flavors
Not available
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Finisterre
Average preparation
Not available

Currently unavailable

We don't know when or if this item will be available.

From Our Community

1 Image

1 Want it Want it

1 Own it Own it

Tasting Notes

There aren't any tasting notes for this tea yet.

From Postcard Teas

An outstanding black tea from Tsukigase in Nara prefecture made by one of Japan’s natural farming pioneers. Mr Iwata is the 17th generation of his family to farm at Tsukigase, and has used no artificial fertilisers or pesticides since 1984 when his father made the switch to natural farming. In 2011, after experimenting with how various fertilisers affect taste, Mr Iwata stopped the use of animal waste and now collects fallen leaves and grasses from the nearby forest and decomposes it to make his own fertiliser in harmony with the seasons and the farm’s surroundings.

Although the majority of the tea he makes is processed as sencha, Mr Iwata is acclaimed within Japan for the quality and distinctiveness of his black teas. We have chosen to offer the first tea that we ever tried from him back in 2011, which we visited him off the strength of soon after. The tea is a first picking of the Benihikari cultivar, a strain developed in the 1950s by crossbreeding the Assamica descended Benikaori with a Chinese varietal. Its sappy floral fragrance and partially oxidised leaves make Darjeeling Second Flush teas as the obvious reference point, but it has more complexity and power than the best teas we have tasted from that region. Its combination of acidity and fruit sweetness evoke notes of pear, tomato and citrus, with a slight menthol effect on the nose and a very unusual aftertaste of raw potato.

We have found this brews better with water that has been slightly cooled to around 90-95°C to keep a balance between sweetness and astringency, and around 3-4g per cup. Many infusions are possible.

About Postcard Teas View company

Company description not available.

Tasting Notes

There aren't any tasting notes for this tea yet.