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awa bancha region

Awa Bancha (30g)

$25.00

Categories: Post Fermented Tea, Tea. Tags: awa bancha, awa tea, shikoku tea, tokushima, tokushima tea.
  • Description

Awa Bancha translates to ‘Ordinary Tea from Awa’ and refers to an obscure folk-tea of modern day Tokushima, Japan.

In the small town of Kamikatsu, nestled in the valleys of Katsuura of central Tokushima, the tradition of Awa Bancha is passed down like an ancient story. It is not a grand affair; there are no ceremonies or rituals to mark the occasion. Instead, the making of Awa Bancha is a quiet symphony, a dance between the hands and the leaves, the sun and the wind.

The villagers gather the tea leaves in late summer, just as the heat begins to wane and the days grow shorter. These are not the tender, delicate shoots prized by other tea makers. Awa Bancha is made from mature leaves, thick and robust, bearing the scars of a summer well-lived. Tender sprouts and young leaves are not suitable for this kind of production, as they would break up and turn to pulp during the fermentation process. The leaves, mostly from the wild ‘zairai’ varieties found in the mountains—are picked between late July and mid-August.

After harvesting, the leaves are put through a step called ‘kill green’, where they are treated with heat to arrest the enzymes that can turn the leaf black. Generally in Japan, the ‘kill green’ is done with steam, and it is what differentiates teas made for fragrance (light steam) or mouthfeel (deep steam). In the case of Awa Bancha the leaves are usually boiled. After the boiling is complete, the softened leaves are rolled to release their aromatic compounds.

These newly rolled leaves are then packed tightly into well used cedar barrels. This is where the magic happens—the leaves undergo anaerobic fermentation, using bacteria that thrive without oxygen, this process gives Awa Bancha its distinctive character. The barrels are filled nearly to the brim, and the leaves are covered with straw, Japanese palm, or banana leaves. A lid is placed on top, weighed down with heavy stones. Finally, the cooled soup made earlier from the boiled tea is poured over the lid, sealing the contents underneath and ensuring the fermentation remains uninterrupted by oxygen.

After about a month, the sealing liquid above the lid is drained, and the fermented leaves from within the barrel are removed. The top layer of leaves which had direct contact with the coverings and sealing liquid, is often set aside. The barrels are emptied of their leaves, which are then spread over straw mats to dry. This drying phase, preferably under the sun, requires turning the leaves periodically to ensure even drying. Once dried, the tea is ready for drinking.

The culmination of the above factors results in a tea high in umami but low in caffeine. It’s a tea with a really wild taste profile. Pickled ginger, algae, lemon throat lozenges, tororo kombu seaweed, fermented longans, etc.

Awa Bancha, like many of the other ‘local bancha’s’ of Japan are on the verge of disappearing. The farmers who are holding the torch right now are few, and their next generation even fewer. Most young people living in Shikoku are looking for a good enough reason to leave, to live in Osaka or Tokyo. We’re fortunate to live in an age where we can at least be aware of this problem, even if most of us cannot necessarily fix it. In my humble opinion, while it’s still available to us, we should celebrate teas like Awa Bancha. There isn’t really anything else like it, not in Japan nor any other tea producing country.

But in Tokushima, Awa Bancha is not celebrated with fanfare or applause. Instead, it is shared quietly, among friends and family, in the same way it has been for centuries. The villagers gather around, cups in hand, and sip the tea in silence, letting the flavor wash over them, grounding them in the present moment. Awa Bancha is not a tea for the hurried or the distracted. It is a tea that asks you to slow down, to breathe, to remember.

It is a tea that carries with it the stories of those who came before and those who will come after—a quiet symphony that continues to play, year after year, season after season.

While I was in Tokushima, for my 88 Temple Pilgrimage, I passed by just a bit East of where this Awa Bancha is made. If you’d like to get a feel for how this part of Japan looks, please watch this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzxAOXKOxNk&list=PLzWreHopjJbzu7Gq-E2-58oNh9hvVGrGj&index=8

 

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