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.
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.
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