Product Overview
BANCHA KEIKO - Late Harvest Tea (Green Tea)
ARTISANAL NOTES:Small Batch Blended and Packed in Canada. HACCP Certified.
INGREDIENTS FROM:Japan
REGION(S):Kagoshima Prefecture
SHIPPING PORT(S):Yokohama / Tokyo
GRADE(S):Ban 2 Go
GROWING ALTITUDE(S):200 – 1000 feet above sea level
MANUFACTURE TYPE(S):Non fermented, Traditional process, Small batch crafted, Steamed.
CUP CHARACTERISTICS:Delicious green tea character with notes of toast. A haunting finish.
INFUSION:Light pale and clear Antioxidant /
CAFFEINE LEVEL:Low / High
INGREDIENTS:Green tea
INFORMATION:
In Japan, Bancha's ancestral home, this grassy green brew has long been considered the journeyman of teas. This is to say that while the island nation has long been home to many notable tea varieties, Bancha is the cup most commonly consumed, and is considered by many to be the perfect drink for everyone from small children to the elderly. Bancha itself is notable for the fact that it is plucked from the same bushes as Sencha, arguably the best-known Japanese variety on the international stage.
The difference is that the leaves used to produce Bancha are typically plucked after Sencha season, resulting in a coarser appearance that often includes some stalk and stem. The coarse quality of the loose leaf gives the tea a unique character, milder infusion and lowered caffeine and tannin levels compared to many finer grade greens.
(Milder cup strength is the reason many Japanese parents consider Bancha to be suitable for children.)
At this point in the story, you may be wondering why we've sourced a traditional Japanese style tea from a grower in China.
The answer is two-fold.
Part one is that following the Fukushima nuclear event of 2011, much of Japan's tea crop began to exhibit increased levels of radioactivity. For a company like ours where food safety is paramount, the increased risk to our customers was not worth the gamble.
Part two is that the Bancha we've subsequently sourced from Zhejiang province rivals any Bancha we've sampled from anywhere. (In fact, our Tea Master mistook this tea for a Japanese grown variety the first time it was offered to him - no small feat!)
All that said, we know you will love this fabulous Japan-style Bancha. Plucked and produced according to ancient Japanese tradition, this is the tea to recommend the next time you're asked for something easy drinking, at any time of day.
Enjoy.
HOT TEA BREWING METHOD:
Traditional method (see note below): When preparing by the cup, this tea can be used repeatedly - about 3 times. The secret is to use water that is about 180°F/82°C. Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon in your cup let the tea steep for about 3 minutes and then begin enjoying a cup of enchantment - do not remove the leaves from the cup. Adding milk and sugar is not recommended. Once the water level is low - add more water, and so on and so on - until the flavor of the tea is exhausted. Look at the pattern of the leaves in the brew, not only do they foretell your fortune but you can see the bud and shoots presenting themselves, looking like they are about to be plucked.
Modern Method:
Bring filtered or freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of loose tea for each 7-9oz/200-260ml of fluid volume in the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the tea). Adding milk or sugar is not recommended.
Note: Traditionally, the recommendation has been that green tea be brewed at 180°F/82°C. Regretfully, modern society makes it necessary to consider that water may not be free of harmful bacteria and other impurities. Therefore you need to boil water to kill bacteria. If you wish to use traditional brewing temperatures bring the water to a boil and allow it to cool to the desired brewing temperature - it's the food safe thing to do!
ICED TEA BREWING METHOD (Pitcher):
(to make 1 liter/quart): Place 6 slightly heaping teaspoons of loose tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 1¼ cups/315ml over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the tea or removing the tea bags. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water.
A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to increase the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water.
(Note: Some luxury quality teas may turn cloudy when poured over ice. This is a sign of luxury quality and nothing to worry about!)
ICED TEA BREWING METHOD (Individual Serving):
Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of loose tea into a teapot for each serving required. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 6-7oz/170-200ml per serving over the tea. Cover and let steep for 5 minutes. Add hot tea to a 12oz/375ml acrylic glass filled with ice, straining the tea or removing the bags. Not all of the tea will fit, allowing for approximately an additional ½ serving.
A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to increase the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted.
(Note: Some luxury quality teas may turn cloudy when poured over ice. This is a sign of luxury quality and nothing to worry about!)
RECOMMENDATION:
We recommend the use of our '1 Cup of Perfect Tea' measuring spoon for best results.
ANTIOXIDANT BENEFIT:
More antioxidants are extracted from tea (L. Camellia Sinesis), or rooibos (Asphalatus Linearis), the longer it is brewed.and the more tea or rooibos that is used, the greater the antioxidant benefit.
FOOD SAFETY ADVISORY:
While green tea is traditionally brewed using 180°F/82°C water, we strongly recommend using filtered or freshly drawn cold water brought to a rolling boil when brewing all types of tea. Today's water has been known to carry viruses, parasites and bacteria. Boiling the water will kill these elements and reduce the potential incidence of water-borne illnesses.
IDEAL BREWING TEMPERATURE: 100C/212F.
MINIMUM BREWING TEMPERATURE:90C/194F.
