JAPAN BENIFUUKI WAKOUCHA BLACK TEA

Only young Benifuuki leaves are first harvested by hand and then stored and oxidised for 3 months in the dark at low temperatures. This laborious process results in a tea that is extremely high in methylated catechin content, which is claimed to help combat hay fever and seasonal allergies. The flavour is smooth, full of honey and floral notes with some cool, mentholated, mineral tones normally found in Japanese green teas. Other flavours noted are apple, quince, raisin, cereals, muscatel and vanilla. Bred from a cross between Benihomare and MAK Cd86, this tea cultivar was named Benifuuki in 1993. It has good processing quality, and the black tea produced from it is strong, with a deep red colour characteristic of the maternal parent, Benihomare, and highly fragrant Darjeeling-type aroma characteristic of the pollen parent. It was developed in 1965 in the Kagoshima prefecture. The leaf has a flatly worked, rough, deep black appearance, a reddish golden cup colour and the taste profile presents a full body with a sweetness and a nuance of ripe plums as an aftertaste.