This juicy tea results from a controlled lactic acid fermentation using late autumn leaves. Look for notes of tepache, tangerine peel, and poached tamarind.

Processing Style:  Awa Bancha (阿波晩茶) 

This is Tatara San's take on traditional Awa Bancha (a Tokushima specialty) using late harvest leaves from his back yard in Shizuoka.  Unlike traditional Awa Bancha that is harvested under the hot summer sun, Tatara San used late Autumn leaves harvested (and fermented) under much cooler conditions.  This, added to the unique nature of Shizuoka's soil, creates a more citrus forward, lighter brew.

Type: Dark
Sub-Type:  Anaerobic Fermentation
Origin:  Bodai District, Fukuroi, Shizuoka
GPS:  34.7°’N | 138.0° E

Grower & Artisan

Tatara Takayuki 多々良 高行 is a 5th generation tea professional and Japanese Instructor from Shizuoka; his family’s company dates back to 1876, when they started manufacturing and wholesaling tea in Shizuoka.  As such, his family is deeply immersed in the vibrant green tea that defines this most famous region.

Tatara San serves also as Vice President of the Bancha Research Association, dedicated to preserve many of Japan’s fairly unknown yet extremely interesting folk tea styles.  Japan is home to teas are currently made by a handful of aging artisans; Tatara San’s team studies with such artisans and uses modern techniques to recreate (as much as possible) the recipes in Shizuoka.

His family is also involved in the revitalization of abandoned tea plantations.  Tatara Kayo, his wife, is a master artisan in the field of textiles; she uses tea leaves as a natural dye for clothing.