Of all the traditional regional banchas that are still being produced today in Japan, Kyô-bancha, also known as iri-bancha, is undoubtedly the most famous. It comes from Kyôto, and has its origins in Uji-tawara.
For this very popular tea, leaves from the mid-section of tea trees are used, and for the tea I am offering you they were winter leaves. They are steamed and then dried in the sun. After further drying by machine, they are very strongly roasted, which gives them their characteristic smoky scent.

This bancha’s fragrances combine strong smoky notes with a light vegetal touch, and an impression recalling incense. Despite that strongly present, captivating fragrance, this tea remains very mellow in the mouth. Smoky aromas are dominant, but the liquor is supple and fluid, with a touch of sweetness and umami, which remains pleasantly in the aftertaste.
This is a bancha that can be called typical, yet, for those who like smoky scents, it is a very refreshing tea that can be drunk in large quantities at any time of day.

Type of tea : bancha
Origin : Uji-tawara town, Tsuzuki district, Kyôto prefecture
Cultivar : Yabukita