Chiran Sencha Fuyuhi | Organic | 2021

Description

Description | 詳細

Chiran Sencha Fuyuhi represents this year’s last batch of Chiran Nōen’s finest Sencha before the new Shincha season kicks off with the spring harvest in mid-to-late April 2022. The organically farmed tea leaves have been cold-stored since their early spring harvest in April 2021 and until January 2022, when they as ‘raw tea’ (aracha) were finished with a carefully balanced hi-ire – a final processing step during which the tea leaves are gently heated in order to fine-tune their water content and highlight specific flavor and aroma aspects.

The hi-ire firing is conducted more intensely this time compared to Chiran Nōen’s Sencha productions of other seasons. The result is a more pronounced character of roasted sweetness and pleasant warming body sensations from the upper part of the throat to the bottom of the belly – a clear sign telling us of Chiran Sencha Fuyuhi’s seasonality as a Sencha crafted during winter.

As always with Chiran Nōen’s premium Sencha, the oxidation of the tea leaves is stopped using both fukamushi (Asanoka, Asatsuyu, Saemidori, Yutakamidori) and chūmushi (Yabukita) steaming techniques. Accordingly, they brew in the cup a vibrantly verdant and umami-rich tea without compromising on the sense of clarity and structure that shorter steaming times offer. Still we find characteristic sensations of freshly cut summer grass and tropical fruit. However, the maturation period of nearly nine months unveils deeper layers of natural umami and an exceptionally soft, viscuous texture. Combined with the prominent hi-ire firing, this makes Chiran Sencha Fuyuhi a particular highlight of the year, celebrating the transitional period of gradually leaving winter and entering into spring.

Tea trees | 茶樹

Cultivars: Asanoka, Asatsuyu, Saemidori, Yabukita, Yutakamidori

Age: 10-40 years

Altitude: 150-200 masl

Shade: covered 7-10 days prior to harvest

Fertiliser: homemade, fermented organic fertiliser made of local by-products from the fishing industry and agriculture

Cultivation method: certified organic (read more about organic and natural farming here)

Harvest: April 2021

Production method | 製茶方法

Steaming: medium (chūmushi) for Yabukita, deep (fukamushi) for Asanoka, Asatsuyu, Saemidori, and Yutakamidori

Hi-ire: medium(chūbi) on Januar 17th 2022

Producer | 生産者

Chiran Nōen 知覧農園 under the leadership of the Nuriki 塗木 sisters

Origin | 産地

Chiran in Kagoshima, Japan