Takahashi San 2023 Tamaryokucha GABA

Simply put...

Tamaryokucha GABA : a tea specialty of Mr. Takahashi.

The leaf has a vibrant fresh aroma and the Characteristic tangy sweetness of GABA in the cup.  It has, for us, wonderful depth (which the thick colour of the liquor hints to) & is very more-ish becoming sweeter through the infusions

In more depth...

Tea Name : Tamaryokucha

Tea Maker : Mr. Takahashi

Origin : Oita, Western Kyushu island

Size : 5 hectares.

Harvest Time : First Harvest 

Cultivar : Yabukita

Plucking standard : Young leaves from the first harvest. 

Processing : 

Experience : Wonderful fresh aroma and the Characteristic sweet tangy-ness of GABA 

How to prepare [Kyusu]

Amount of tea per cup (200 ml): 5g (one tea caddy spoon)

Temperature of water: 80 C 

Infusion time: 30 seconds (or as desired)

Number of infusions: 4*

How to enjoy: No milk, no sugar

*Possible number of times you can re-brew using the same leaves.  

This tea can be infused/brewed multiple times, just place the leaves to one side and reuse.

Tales of the Tea Trade : Takahashi San

Extract from our last trip Spring 2023 : Michelle : We got up early to head to Western Kyushu. Before coming away Tamaryokucha had become one of my daily go-to green teas so we had made it a priority to come & visit Takahashi-San
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The story is a common one in organic agriculture. After attending agricultural college (where he learned to raise pears and grapes & also learned that tea is the least likely crop to fail or be eaten) the father of Takahashi San planted the first tea plants here. One day in the early 1990s when spraying pesticide the hose disconnected and he got covered in it - passing out. After this terrible incident the tea farm turned organic and has never looked back.
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Over 8 hectares 9 cultivars are grown bordered by forest. Nature thrives with birds flying joyfully above the tea bushes, wild strawberries underfoot & frogs, lizards, deer & wild boars making this their home. The style of tea here is Tamaryokucha noticeable by its bright dark green leaves which are coiled or ‘curly’ unlike Sencha
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I asked what the vision for the future was - the answer came ‘to expand organic tea, increase interest of the name Tamaryokucha & improve knowledge of organic cultivation. For this to be possible there is one other key ingredient - young people - ‘we need to get more young people involved in tea - shared Takahashi-San - then there will be a good future here’