Bancha Organic Green Tea 50g

Bancha organic green tea consists of the third crop of leaves from the same camellias from which Shincha and Sencha were previously made. The word Bancha can be translated as “tea that has been harvested outside the main harvesting season” and, in fact, this tea is usually harvested in the summer or, depending on the development of the plant, in the autumn.

Although Bancha comes from a late harvest, one can still expect a tasty brew from these leaves and, moreover, very light in caffeine compared to Shincha and Sencha. In fact, it has been proven that this third crop contains less excitatory substances than its predecessors, making it perfect even for green tea lovers who are more sensitive to caffeine.

The liquor obtained from this Bancha will have a delicate vegetable flavor with fresh notes and will finally leave a refreshing effect in the mouth: therefore, excellent to consume even in the warmer seasons!

Tasting – Sight and smell

This Organic Bancha Green Tea has small to medium-sized leaves, some broken, some whole, flattened in shape and military green and forest green colors. The presence of a few twigs is noticeable, and the dry aroma is fresh and herbaceous on the nose. Once infused, the leaves give off vegetable notes of spinach and chard, with a delicate umami and a fresh hint of freshly cut grass. In the cup, the liqueur is a very deep golden yellow tending to green, with highlights reminiscent of the color of olive oil.

Tasting Notes

WESTERN

The opening of this Organic Bancha Green Tea is vegetal and rather herbaceous, with good freshness and slight citrus acidity perceived on the sides of the tongue. The middle notes are still vegetable but softer and sweeter: reminiscent of spinach and steamed zucchini. The umami is not excessive, the savoriness of the tea is reminiscent of a good vegetable broth in taste. On the palate the body is oily and soft, without bitterness and with only a slight hint of astringency on the finish. The persistence is medium, characterized by vegetal notes and herbaceous freshness.

Place of origin

Japan

Production

This organic Bancha green tea is brewed in the classic Japanese style, thus, freshly picked leaves are allowed to wither for a short time and then flooded with very hot steam that within 15 to 20 seconds accomplishes the process of “killing the green” by deactivating the enzymes that would lead the leaf to oxidize. After this important stage, the leaves are rolled to enhance their flavours and dried using hot air jets to be ready for use.

Brewing method

Place 4 grams of leaves (about two teaspoons) in a Japanese Kyusu-type teapot or, failing that, in a teapot with a wide, flat bottom if possible. Pour 100 ml of water at a temperature of 70°C on the leaves and after 40 seconds you can start pouring the infusion into the cups. To make the most of the leaves and to continue the taste experience with this tea, we also recommend making two more infusions of the same leaves with the same quantity and temperature parameters but varying the infusion time. For the second we suggest 50 seconds of time and for the third 1 minute.

The tea can be filtered for greater ease at the moment of tasting, and also the infusion times indicated above are intended to be purely indicative, so you can also adjust according to your personal taste.

As we are talking about a Japanese green tea, it is also possible to make a delicious infusion in cold water before proceeding with hot water. For the latter, we recommend, with the same grams of leaves per amount of water, an infusion time of about 10 minutes.

Organic Bancha tea is recommended to be stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.