Background

Akane Wakoucha is a high-oxidation Japanese black tea produced by Makinohara Yamamotoen (牧之原山本園) in Makinohara City, Shizuoka. Grown in open fields without pesticides, this tea is made from a rare Taiwanese mystery cultivar and is harvested in July. The leaf is broken and dark brown, producing a smooth, sweet taste with a dark molasses aroma.

“Smooth sweet, tantalisingly mysterious, dark and sweet with a bold entrance, like a matador for tea bushes.”

Personal Connection – George’s Notes

Yamamoto-san typically goes to most of the big tea festivals on the tea calendar throughout the year and I managed to visit him in 2024 March along with Simona, Pau and Moè. We were able to see his tea fields along with the mystery cultivar which it is not possible to share the cultivar name of. He shared how he likes to grow a tea hedge around the outside some of the gardens where his neighbours are using more pesticide to prevent so much being spilt into his garden production.

The area he mostly farms is called Makinohara which is a famous tea production area in Shizuoka where you can also find the Shizuoka Tea Museum which contains the history and evolution of Japanese Tea.

Yamamoto-san has gained fame for his incredible Oolong and Black tea production which is partly thanks to his experimental approach to oxidised tea production. He studies every year or two for a few weeks with a tea friend and production master in Taiwan who also facilitated the export of some taiwanese machines to Yamamoto-sans factory which helps a great deal in being able to produce some very very interesting teas. Yamamoto-san also supports the production of another interesting tea called Kaori-cha which focuses on emphasising the aroma gained for Sencha tea.

This Akane tea is made from a mystery cultivar which is a closely guarded secret but all we know is that it produces some incredible black tea and we don’t mind so much as long as the good tea keeps coming from that wonderful garden!

Brewing Recommendations

For this tea, use 5 grams in a Tokoname teapot with a sasame mesh to ensure a clean, sediment-free pour. Use porcelain cups to preserve the clarity and brightness of the liquor. Begin with no rinse. For the first infusion, pour 100 ml of 60 ppm water at 90°C and steep for 80 seconds to extract the tea’s foundational aromas and umami. Increase the temperature to 95°C for the second and third infusions, steeping for 45 and 60 seconds respectively to draw out evolving layers of complexity and a fuller body. From the fourth infusion onward, continue using 100 ml of water, increasing the temperature by 5°C and the steeping time by 10 seconds with each round to gradually coax out the remaining depth and sweetness from the leaves.