Wakoucha: black tea from Japan
The taste of this black leaf tea is truly exquisite, slightly flowery, with noticeable honey and spice undertones. The term „kou-cha” 紅茶 can be translated as „a tea of crimson colour”. Such designation was coined thanks to Japanese soft water, which would turn dark red with a hint of blue, when infused with black tea’s leaves. That’s also why, in the past, wakocha was referred to as „red tea”. When brewed in water of medium hardness, more typical of the European countries, the tea takes on a colour of dark amber. Moya Wakocha is cultivated and processed in the Mie region on the island of Honshu.
Black tea wakocha is ideally suited as a companion for meals and desserts, the sweetness of which is subtly broken with the tea’s bitter undertones. Just as any other black tea, wakocha, once harvested, undergoes the process of drying and fermentation, which sets it apart from green teas. The results of this process are wakocha’s dark colour, slightly earthy flavour and reduced caffeine content, when compared to e.g. green tea sencha. Drinking black tea aids digestion system. Infusion of wakocha can be a source of amino acids, beta carotene, folic acid, potassium, calcium, and phosphorus. As there aren’t many farmers in Japan, who would decide to cultivate and process black tea, Japanese wakocha remains an uncommon delicacy.
