This is our second foray into Japanese teas.
The first one was with Genmaicha tea.
Kabusecha (冠茶) or Kabuse + cha (tea) is a first flush tea. The name, literally translated, means covered tea.
Teapedia describes it in the following way:
"Kabusecha (冠茶), literally translated as covered tea, is a type of Japanese Sencha. The name derives from the fact that the tea is covered before harvest - just like Gyokuro. While the later is covered for about three weeks at 70-90% Kabusecha is only covered for about one week at 50%. The shading technique for Kabusecha is also different than that of Gyokuro. For Gyokuro the entire tea field is shaded, but for Kabusecha only the tea plant itself is covered. Because of that special processing Kabusecha has Sencha’s refreshing flavor but also some of Gyokuro’s sweetness."
"Kabuse tea leaves are used to produce one of the three most expensive Japanese green teas (the others are gyokuro and matcha).[4] These teas are made from leaves that are hand-plucked and grown in the shade.[5] Shade grown leaves produce superior quality green tea - ooika is the Japanese term for the "covered aroma" of these teas, which are high in theanine and other amino acids that contribute to their distinctive flavor.[6] Kabuse is shaded for a shorter time than gyokuro-it is sometimes called a shade grown sencha.[7] Studies have found considerable difference between the essential oils of kabuse-cha and sencha made from leaves grown in an open field" (Wikipedia)
Below, is a pic from the above mentioned source, showing how those young leaves are covered.
We've been enjoying this tea during our tea ceremonies. Except that we usually use higher grades of this tea for that.
Here are some pics from one of the tea ceremonies.
We have used Kabusecha that was imported by SHO-CHA
This is their description of this tea, translated into English:
"This full-bodied, sweet Kabusecha green tea from the first harvest of 2021 comes from Mr. Iwakura from Shimada (Shizuoka).
This year it is aromatically a little closer to Gyokuro, than to Sencha. Due to its long shading with nets, it is very intensely aromatic, has a deep umami, and is full-bodied in taste.
The natural fertilization with tea grass (Chagusaba) is a traditional method from Shizuoka and makes it particularly sweet. It is also an unsorted tea (aracha).
It takes a lot of experience to process an unsorted tea to such a tasty quality. That's why Iwakura-san steamed the Kabusecha longer (Chuumushi) than our Senchas.
Despite its intense, aromatic taste, it has no astringency and is not at all tart.
Like all our green teas, it is of course absolutely pesticide-free."
And here are some pics from steeping at 60 degrees C.
And the same tea, right after straining.
Just incredibly soft and silky.
And here it is in the form of Kombucha.
Delicate, sweet, and a bit grassy (vegetal), light and delicious.
Ingredients: Filtered and Revitalized Water, Live Kombucha Cultures, Unrefined Brown Sugar
and Kabusecha