Kittenishness | 调情 - Tea Blend focusing on Kyoto Tencha

Tea in Focus: Kyoto Tencha 碾茶

Blending Ingredients: Sakura petals

The highest grade of Japanese green tea - gyokuro (玉露) - is shaded 20 days to 30 days to produce a sweet and umami flavour with reduced astringency. Tencha is cultivated the same manner, and is processed differently to become a separate product. Primarily, it is de-stemmed and de-veined, and does not undergo any rolling or shaping, hence its flat and flaky style, It is dark green as a result from the shading process. Uncommon even in Japan, this tea is usually further processed into another more famous Japanese green tea - matcha. This is to say, matcha is cultivated in the same manner as gyokuro and should be of a darker shade of green. A lighter green suggests the raw material may be unshaded, hence a sencha. Such a tea should rightfully be called green tea powder, and not matcha. 

Our philosophy for tea blending is first to focus on the tea, and to use the creativity of blending to bring out stories and new flavours. We name them in an unusual manner to attempt to highlight certain philosophies or notions. The flaky green tea forms a dark contrast to the lovely pink petals of the sakura flowers. During infusion, a reverse fountain effect can be observed where the green and pink bits curl upwards and inwards symmetrically and neatly with the brewing water as you continue to pour. It is as intriguing to watch as it is to taste, and injects some playfulness into this serious tea of the highest grade. Furthermore, the sakura brings an elegant floral aroma to the sweet and light tencha.

Packed in 50g

Read more about our philosophy here.