Bancha

Unique tea specialities, including traditional Bancha varieties that have almost been forgotten, such as the natural Haru Bancha from Ken'ichi Shizen Nouen, as well as carefully sun-dried Kamairicha and Hojicha. We source all of these teas from small, family-run tea farms in Nara and Tamba – two remote, lesser-known tea regions, each with its own distinctive tea culture and centuries of tea-growing history.

Fermented teas from Japan are an absolute rarity, whose recognition is largely confined to their regions of cultivation even within Japan itself. For Kancha (寒茶), literally “cold tea” or “winter tea”, entire tea branches are steamed in a wooden vat over a wood fire and then dried in the cool winter air. Kurocha (黒茶), Awabancha (阿波晩茶), and Goishicha (碁石茶) are unique tea rarities from Ehime and Shikoku, which undergo double fermentation after harvesting, developing distinctively woody-sweet, slightly tart flavour profiles.

Our organic Kaori bancha in extra large pyramid tea bags for a convenient cup of tea.