A rich, bold flavoured, energizing black tea. As you bloom this tea, it feels like cracking open a freshly used wine barrel; notes of grape stained oak are dominant. As the tea settles, you can also perceive the aroma of dried flowers.

What is Benifuki?

Benifuki (べにふうき, also romanized as ‘benifuuki’) is perhaps Japan’s most popular cultivar for black tea. It was developed in Japan, in the 1960’s, by crossing an Assamica cultivar (Benihomare) with a Sinensis cultivar that was popular in Darjeeling (MakuraCd86). This cultivar was developed in Kagoshima, not far from where Furuichi San’s tea grows.

Tea Info

TYPE	Black Tea (Wakoucha)
ORIGIN	Chiran, Kagoshima, Japan
GPS	31.4ºN 130.4ºE
TASTING NOTES	Grape Stained Oak \| Dried Flowers
GROWER	Furuichi Family

Brewing Guide

CHIRAN SHINCHA

WATER	100℃ \| 240ml
TEA	3g
STEEP STYLE	60 seconds \| 2 steeps (bloom first)
EQUIPMENT	Drip

About The Grower

After World War II, grandfather Furuichi had only a bike and a love for tea. He biked through the Chiran region in Japan buying tea leaves and making his own tea. Now his tea company is run by three generations of the Furuichi family and produces some of the best sencha we’ve ever had. They use top of the line equipment and over 10 different cultivars to produce tea that bursts with citrus notes and tastes like nothing we’ve ever had before.

Furuichi Family

Close up of Furuichi's tea trees.

Furuichi's house and tea fields.

View from Furuichi's place

Grower on the map

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