Celebrate the spring with fresh Shincha Aracha! Aracha or “raw tea” is often called “farmer's tea”. It's an unrefined green tea that farmers like for its intensity and natural flavor. You could say that aracha's aroma is very fresh and intense, the closest thing to tasting freshly steamed green tea at the factory. It's a raw tea, partially processed, and normally used as an intermediary step when making other Japanese teas such as Sencha or Kukicha.
Aracha is unrefined in the sense that the leaves and stems have still not undergone sorting to separate qualities. It has 5% residual water in the leaves. This slight difference compared to other Japanese green teas that typically leave 3% residual water in leaves, makes it ideal to consume this tea within 4-6 weeks after opening.
This is the traditionally processed spring tea from the first collection (Ichibancha) of Saemidori cultivar shrubs from Mr. Nishi's naturally managed gardens in the village of Makizono, in the Kirishima mountain range at an altitude of about 450 m above sea level. The tea was made with only the top three young leaves. The taste is traditional shincha combining spring freshness, strong flavor, in this case with minimal bitterness, which is caused by just a higher amount of residual water in the leaf.
Origin: Makizono, Kirishima, Kyushu Island, Japan
Harvest: Ichibbancha, 2025
Color of liquor: bright lime
Aroma: shrimp, mussels, fruity, mango, mint
Flavor: full, dense, lively, marked umami, marine, fresh grass, lasting coolness
Temperature: 75 c
Steeping Time: 1min; 0,5min; 1min; 1,5min; 2min; 3min
