Sencha Kogane Midori

The birth of a new tea cultivar:
About 30 years ago in an ordinary tea plantation in Shizuoka, one tea bush mutated, and its leaves, instead of lush green, turned to bright gold. Sato Hiromitsu, the owner of the plantation saw the unique chance and decided to cultivate more from the new-found golden leaf tree. He noticed that the more the leaves are exposed to the Sun, the brighter gold they turn. He named the new cultivar "Kogane Midori", "golden green", and cultivated that one little tea bush into an entire plantation. What we see now deep in the mountains of Shizuoka, an entire plantation shining in sunshine gold, is the result of his 30 years of special care and hard work.

The benefits of Kogane Midori:
Kogane Midori's leaves are not only rare and beautiful but also contain more amino acids than regular green tea cultivars. The umami is exceptionally strong, and to bring out the distinctive character, we need a unique brewing method. Unlike most Japanese green teas that go maximum 3 steeps, Kogane Midori is extremely lasting and can go up to eight.

Taste notes:
This sencha is a charisma. It is verdant and fruity with a very strong umami. It is sweet and silky with a characteristic, refreshing vegetal bitterness. It is not a shaded tea but still has the umami-rich, and dense feel of a gyokuro. The more you brew it, the sweeter it becomes.

Brewing suggestions:
1.
Following Mr. Sato's instructions, it is best to brew the tea in a 1g - 10ml ratio, like a stronger Gyokuro. So, for 3g it is best to use 30 ml water, for 5 g, 50, and so on. The first two infusions should be long, about 5 minutes in 25-30℃ water. From the third infusion onwards, we can raise the water temperature and shorten the steeping time.
2.
If you brew it similarly to other Japanese sencha and infuse 5g leaves for 45 seconds in 80℃ water, the tea you get will be close to that of sencha but fruitier and stronger.
3.
If you crave refreshment, you can also infuse it in cold water. The ratio should be the same (1g - 10 ml) and the steeping time about 3 minutes. The tea will be sweet and delicious, without any lingering bitterness.

We offer two other amazing teas from this special Kogane Midori cultivar: Kogane Midori Gabaroncha and Kogane Midori Hōjicha.

Origin: Morokozawa, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka city
Altitude: 500 meters
Production time: May 2023

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