Tamaryokucha Okuyutaka (玉緑茶 奥豊・おくゆたか)
Tōzaka’s Okuyutaka tamaryokucha starts off with an almost buttery biscuit aroma of the dry leaf, mixed with vegetal umami notes.
The first brew at a lower temperature yields a gentle, round-flavoured tea. Smooth, creamy, and a clear yet soft, brothy umami. We taste buttery French green beans and white cashews.
A slightly hotter second brew will bring out a still smooth but more complex character: vibrant, light bitter almonds and less umami. The aftertaste is sweet and lingering.
In the third brew the light bitters of the second brew have disappeared, leaving an aromatic, mild, creamy and nutty vegetal taste akin to fresh broad beans. A touch of a floral note may come through (some wysteria perhaps?).
Each brew gives a different character, and you may just try to continue brewing – we find a fourth brew still gives a clear, soft yet refreshing taste.
Brewing advice from Tōzaka:
First brew: 5 gr / 120 ml / 65ºC / 45 sec
The photo gallery shows pictures of both the first brews, which shows a bright and clear liquor. Consecutive brews still give a clear colour, despite the middle-deep steaming the tea has had during processing.
Tea farmer Koichi Tōzaka (東坂幸一) has a strong vision & dedication to ‘natural’ farming. Tōzaka is the smallest farmer we’ve met in the Sonogi tea region. He is slowly converting his tea fields to grow naturally without the addition of chemical fertilisers or pesticides. He hopes to convert his remaining fields in 2024 to his vision of natural tea growing without any added chemical fertilisers or pesticides.
Tamaryokucha (玉緑茶) is Sonogi tea region’s speciality. In Nagasaki, ‘ocha’ (お茶) which means ‘tea’ is automatically assumed to be tamaryokucha. Ocha in other regions of Japan will usually be assumed to be sencha (煎茶) as it is by far the most prevalent tea throughout the rest of Japan.
