Tea Library
Kenichi Shizen Nouen produces a wide variety of teas, including Japanese black tea, oolong tea, and flavored tea.
Surprisingly it is not known that all of these teas are made from the same tea plant.
How are the different types of tea made?
Let us explain step by step in this page!!
1. The “tea season,” the time of harvest
Kenichi Shizen Nouen produces tea throughout the four seasons.
The timing of harvesting and tea production varies depending on the type of tea.
The shaded area on the back of the leaf tea package indicates the season when the tea is harvested and produced.
Spring : March, April, May
Summer : June, July, August,
Fall : September, October, November
Winter : December, January, February
2. The part of tea tree to be used “Chai”(茶位).
Different types of tea use different parts of the tea tree.
We call that part of the tree “chai” (茶位).
Orthodox Japanese tea uses only tea leaves.
However, we use not only the leaves, but also the stems and branches of the tea plant.
Therefore, the back of the package of Sannen Ban-Cha has the picture on the right.
Please refer to the figure below to see what other parts of the tea are used.
3. Tea making process
Finally, we explain the processing of tea leaves. The table on he right summarizes the process of making each type of tea.
The difference is coming from the growing of tea leaves.
The subsequent process varies depending on the tea.
※Undercover Sencha is a tea made by the same process as what is generally called “gyokuro,” but at Kenichi Shizen Nouen we call it "undercover sencha.
The reason is that gyokuro is generally made by using fertilizers to bring out rich sweetness and flavor, but naturally grown tea has a completely different flavor from what you may imagine when you hear the word “gyokuro”.
※Undercover cultivation is to cover the tea plantation with shading material during the growing period of sprouts and grow them under a certain period of light. By blocking out the light, the tea becomes bright green in color, aroma, flavor, and sweetness.
※Wilt is the process of leaving the harvested tea leaves to wilt and drain off the water, allowing the enzymes and other substances contained in the fresh leaves to work, producing a fragrance similar to that of flowers and fruits.
※The “roasting” process is done over a wood fire.
※The “rubbing” process involves both hand and machine rubbing.
