GAME OF FRUIT | Goishi Cha, Double Fermentation Dark Tea

Goishi Cha (碁石茶) is a traditional, fermented Japanese tea that bursts with notes of tamarind, papaya and weathered tropical woods.

Type: Dark / Folk Bancha
Sub-Type:  double fermentation (aerobic + anaerobic)
Origin:  Otoyo, Kochi, Japan
GPS:  33.8° N | 133.7° E   
Grower: Otoyo Goishi Cha Cooperative

The Name, Game of Fruit 'Goishi Cha':

Go Ishi (碁石) means 'Go Stone' or 'Go PIece'.  Go is an ancient game of strategy that originated in China and is popular all over Asia these days.  Go Ishi Cha is pressed into little tablets that resemble the pieces of a game.  In this case, these pieces are bursting with sweet and tangy fruity flavours.

Brief History of Goishi Cha:

The Goishi Cha Cooperative, in Kochi, has records about this tea dating back to the Edo period.  This tea was considered the main product of the Tosa (the old name for Kochi) domain; it was very popular among sailors and merchants until the Meiji Period (1868-1912).

After Meiji, the depopulation of the area and the introduction of 'fancier' green tea from Japan made life difficult for goishi cha producers; by the 1950's, only one family (Ogasawara 小笠原) kept the goishi cha tradition alive.  Thanks to them, we enjoy the tea today.

Handcrafting (Double Fermentation) Process:

1) Big leaves and twigs are harvested in the summer months.

2) They are steamed in a big wooden bucket.  This process takes roughly 2.5 hours.

3) The tea is set in piles with a height of 50cm - 70cm in a fermentation room.  It is allowed to ferment about 1 week.  

4) The leaves are then fermented in buckets full of water, in a process that is very similar to the production of Awa Bancha.  

5) Finally, the tea is dried under the scorching, summer sun of Kochi and cut into little squares.

Brewing:  steep 1 square (~3g) of tea in 300g of boiling water over 3 minutes.