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Mr Irie's Houjicha [Yabukita, Kanaya Midori]

Mr Irie's Houjicha [Yabukita, Kanaya Midori]

£9.00

Simply put...

Mr Irie's Houjicha is unbelievably rich and sweet with a lasting nuttiness : a profile which is testament to the farming practices of Irie San.  Great nourishment for cooler days or a cup of comfort for others

Origin : Toshiro Irie's Tea Farm,Yame, Fukuoka, Kyushu Island

Size : 3 hectares [over several land plots]

Harvest Time : Second Harvest

Cultivar : Yabukita, Kanaya Midori

Plucking standard : Firmly grown leaves

Experience : Roasted, nutty and savoury

Last visited by Comins : October 2017, Rob Comins 

How to prepare [Kyusu]

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

Temperature of water: 100 C 

Infusion time: 1 minute (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 : Irie-San

Rob meant Mr Irie on his October trip to Fukuoka and was immediately captivated by his passion for soil commitment to the land.  You may remember from our social media that he even convinced Rob to taste the soil.  We are delighted to welcome three of his amazing teas to Comins.  

Rob : Extract from our our book Tales of the tea trade :   

Rob: Mr Toshiro started out as a fruit and vegetable farmer, but after a bout of ill health, and discovering the health-giving qualities of green tea, he set out to produce the healthiest tea he could, with no chemicals to be added. For him, this started with one thing: the soil [....] He described how 1 gram of soil contains 1 billion bacteria, and that the fertilizer he makes is for these bacteria, not the tea plants. Feeding the bacteria maintains the life cycle and balance of the soil, resulting in better tea plants [...] He showed me a sign indicating that the garden is Organic JAS (Japanese Agricultural Standards) certified, and tells me that his was the first tea garden in Japan to achieve this [....]

Mr Toshiro’s approach has not been the easiest path. When he started, he told me, the surrounding farmers didn’t understand about pesticides and organic cultivation, so the slopes were starting to get into bad condition. ‘Growing organically is a life choice, so we spent five years building strongly, and over the course of five more years I finally made a tea.’ [...]

Theres so much more to this story but you will have to come and see us, taste his tea or read the book Tales of the tea trade to get further inspired by Mr Irie.  In fact why not do all three at the same time!


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