Kimberley's Kyusu

Every other month since the start of this year, I have been posting instalments for my Garden Glimpses series, of which the aim is to shine a spotlight on a specific tea garden / farm in each post. Previously I have discussed Azuma Tea Garden and Tarui Tea Farm and today I will be focusing on Tea Farm Mitocha. 

Tea Farm Mitocha is located in a village called Yamazoe (located in the Western part of Nara prefecture) and was founded by Hiroki Kayashita who started his career as a farmer in 2013 alongside his wife, cultivating both tea and produce. Hiroki Kayashita was inspired to become a farmer after trying a bancha in Wakayama prefecture (a.k.a. Tenbi Kamairicha) that was served to him at a teahouse, so inspired by it in fact that he decided to produce it himself. He was introduced to the master who created it and has been learning directly from him each year, learning all he can in Kumano, then returning to Yamazoe and developing their own unique characteristics. 

Teas I have tried from Mitocha include their Sun-Dried Kamairicha (Dark Roast), Sun-Dried Kamairicha (Light Roast), Makibi Kancha Firewood Winter Green Tea, Sun-Dried Kamairicha Bancha and their Sun-Dried Kamairicha Harubancha. 

Their Sun-Dried (dark roast) Kamairicha is a tea I turn to when I want pure comfort in a cup and is my favourite tea I have had the pleasure of trying from Mitocha. It is a tea I reach for after a few high pain days in a row, that results in me not being able to drink tea, and it is always everything I need to work my way back into things calmly. I went into my first session with it not knowing what to expect and I was completely blown away by the complexity of it. The light roast version was also very good and is better suited to a warm spring day outdoors, acting more as a fuel for adventures through nature than a source of comfort. 

If you want to know more about both the dark roast and light roast Kamairicha from Mitocha, take the time to check out the comparison post I wrote not too long ago, covering both teas, the things I love about each one and the ways in which they compare. 

Before trying their Makibi Kancha, I had never heard of it, let alone tried any others as it is an extremely rare tea that very few producers adopt, originally made in regions such as Asuke village, Aichi prefecture and Shishikui village, Tokushima prefecture. While it is definitely on the calmer side of things, it is still delicious and I often end off a day of tea with it to help me wind down. Overall it is very clean, fresh, natural and earthy and slightly herbal, with a lingering wildflower honey sweetness. No astringency or bitterness is present and there is only a soft, subtle hint of smokiness that allows the green of the leaves to shine. 

Their Sun-Dried Kamairicha Bancha and their Sun-dried Kamairicha Harubancha are new additions to the line up of teas that I have tried from Mitocha. The first of which, the Kamairicha Bancha, has a flavour similar to Hojicha but a touch lighter and a little more green. It’s delicious steeped both hot and cold, with the cold brewed version being sweeter overall. The second tea, the Kamairicha Harubancha, is much brighter with touches of floral, green woodiness and a subtle fresh sweetness that lingers, which is perfect for spring. It is also fantastic when steeped both hot and cold. 

It is clear to me that Tea Farm Mitocha has a passion to keep traditional folk teas alive and in doing so, they are helping to connect the past, present and future of Japanese tea together. I hope I am continuously awarded the opportunity to drink they delightful range of teas for many years to come and I highly recommend trying all of the teas I have mentioned in today’s post all of which you can find here & should you be planning to order from Yunomi any time soon, and remember to use my code INFKKYU when you order to get 1000yen off an order of 5000yen or more.

Until next time, Happy steeping – Kimberley