Kamairicha: Savory, Sophisticated Japanese Green Tea

unique pan-parched fragrance, with a remarkably complex and rich taste.If you are looking to intrigue your palate and expand your tea experience, try kamairicha.

Kamairi in Japanese means roasting in a pan. Cha means tea.

To make Kamairicha, fresh tea leaves are manually dried in iron pans immediately after harvest for about 10 minutes at 300 °C.

During the process (called iriha-ki), the tea maker keeps turning the leaves rapidly, observing the changes in color and texture.

the tea maker keeps turning the leaves rapidly, observing the changes in color and texture.

Next, the leaves are rolled and dried in a four-step process.

This time-tested technique enhances tea's savory (umami) content, yielding a unique pan-roasted fragrance, with a remarkably complex and rich taste.

Kamairicha production is an intensely manual affair and requires a skilled tea maker. As a result, kamairichas account for only about 2% of teas in Japan and are even rarer in the west.

Color: Yellowish green
Flavor: Medium-light, moderately sharp and distinct, slight roasty 

How to Brew

1. Add Tea to Teapot
Add tea leaves to the empty teapot (one teaspoon per cup.)

2. Add Near-Boiling Water to Cups
Pour hot water from the kettle into each cup. Let the water cool down for 2 minutes.

3. Pour Water from Cups into Teapot
Close the lid of the teapot. Let the tea brew for 2 minutes. DO NOT stir, shake or mix the tea while brewing.

4. Serve and Enjoy!
Pour small amounts of tea into each cup at a time, and go around until the very last drop is poured. You can add hot water again to the teapot for a second, or even a third brewing.


Copy and Quote Policy

The content you see on our pages, including images, graphics, and text is our exclusive copyrighted property. If you would like to post an excerpt from our website, you may do so on the conditions that:

  • You comply with the copyright policy in our Terms of Use.
  • On your post make a clear attribution to WAWAZA within close proximity of the excerpt, including a clickable link back to this page.