Wazuka Zairai White Tea

A rarity amongst rarities, this exquisite white tea was laboriously hand-picked, sun-withered, and charcoal-baked, giving it a sweet, complex taste, with notes of edamame, and silky, creamy texture. The leaves were hand-picked with one bud and 3-4 leaves, giving the tea a higher leaf-to-bud ratio than their bud and 2 leaf white tea. This makes the tea a little sweeter and less nutty. Like all of Morisaki-san's teas, this tea was grown without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers. White tea is a minimally processed tea, made by withering and drying freshly picked tea leaves, preferably under the sun. While there is no ‘fixing’ process, oxidation slows and virtually stops as the leaves dry out. After which, higher-grade white teas will undergo a subtle low temperature charcoal roasting to round out the flavour and texture. Despite this simple processing, good white tea is difficult to make, as the oxidation and flavour of the finished tea is determined only by the rate of the wither and drying. Heat, humidity, sunlight, and the arrangement of the leaves on the drying mats all have an impact on this and knowing how to manipulate them (if possible) is part of the skill of white tea making. Japanese white tea is an incredibly recent development limited to only a handful of farmers. The labour-intensive manual picking and production mean that very little is made. What Japanese white that does exist varies drastically in taste, some are sweet and fresh, others more nutty and creamy. A few taste similar to Chinese white teas while most taste distinctly Japanese. Producer: Chaen Morifuku Region: Wazuka, Kyoto Elevation: 200m Cultivar: 80 year-old Zairai Harvested: April 30, 2023 Picking: Hand-picked (Bud and 3-4 leaves)