IKKYU ORGANIC BOX
Competition Grade Sencha
Description
This luxury box brings together 3 x 50g of our best organic teas. A wonderful gift to discover the quality and amazing taste of organic tea. Give your body an extra healthy boost with this selection of delicious organic green tea, all of them among our all-time bestsellers. KAZUYA Competition-grade Sencha, JUN High-grade Sencha and KOJI Premium Tamaryokucha are praised for their sweetness and subtle umami, as well as notes of honey and wildflowers. They are the result of decades of dedication by their producers to bring organic tea to the same gustatory level as regular tea. The teas are wrapped by an extra thin sheet of traditional Japanese paper (Washi). The box includes a detailed description of each tea, brewing instructions and the producers' profiles.Information
Origin100% Japanese tea from Oita and Yame
Quality and Type
High-Grade Organic Sencha, Competition Organic Sencha, Premium organic Tamaryokucha
Organic: Yes
Cultivars
JUN- Sencha: Yabukita, Sae-Midori
KAZUYA – Sencha: Yabukita, Asatsuyu
KOJI – Tamaryokucha: Yabukita
Conservation: 1 year unopened
Optimal tasting: within 6 weeks after opening
Tasting Guide JUN
Brewing Instructions
JUN
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Tea for 2 7g / 0.24 oz |
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Water 180ml / ~6 fl oz |
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Temperature 70C / 158F |
 |
Time 45-60s |
Producer Profile
JUN
IRIE TOSHIRO
Irie san became convinced of the health benefits of green tea when, at 20, he suffered from gallstones and recovered quickly thanks to taking up to drinking green tea from his hometown, Yame.
For 35 years now, Irie san has invested his time and energy to grow 100% chemical- and pesticide-free green tea. As such, he was one of the first tea producers in Japan to embrace organic tea production. Along with his son, he shows the utmost care for his fields and the environment, and is a fervent defender of sustainable agriculture and tea production.
It took Irie san 5 years to create, plant and grow naturally tea fields at the top of the mountains of the Kuroki village (Yame, Fukuoka prefecture), far from any risk of cross-contamination from other sources. It took him 5 more years to produce a tea that satisfied him fully in terms of quality and taste.
Tasting Guide KAZUYA
Brewing Instructions
KAZUYA
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Tea for 2 6g to 8g (0.21 – 0.25oz) |
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Water 180ml / ~6 fl oz |
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Temperature 60°C to 70°C (140 – 158F) |
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Time 2min on first brew, 1min on second brew |
Producer Profile
KAZUYA
TSURU KAZUYUKI
The Tsuru Cha En plantation was founded in 1959 by the father of the current business owner, Tsuru Kazuyuki san. Since Tsuru san took over the operations in 2007, the tea production has switched to a 100% chemical and pesticide-free process. In 2017, they received the Special Farming Products Certification from Saga prefecture. Today, Tsuru san is one of only four green tea producers in Kyushu, along with Irie san in Yame, who grows tea in a completely pesticide-free manner, bringing him ‘above’ organic standards.
Tsuru san explains: “More than 80% of our tea trees are over fifty years old. Our constant care and pruning have allowed their roots to go deep in the ground, and benefit from all the advantages of a soil rich in nutrients. The trees absorb large quantities of minerals, making them resistant to insects and illness, even without the use of any pesticides.
Tasting Guide KOJI
Brewing Instructions
KOJI
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Tea for 2 8g / 0.28 oz |
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Water 200ml / ~6.76 fl oz |
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Temperature 80C / 176F |
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Time 30s |
Producer Profile
KOJI
TAKAHASHI YUZO
Established in 1963, the Takahashi green tea factory is located in Usuki (Oita pref., Eastern Kyushu) and produces organic green tea since 2001. It was the first green tea farm in Oita to receive the organic JAS certification in 2001.
Takahashi san is now the second generation of his family to lead his business and is specialized in tamaryokucha, a green tea known for its jade color (tama), quite similar to sencha, but whose leaves have a curly shape, and not needle-like.
The very last stage of the processing method is different: the tea leaves are put inside drums and dried with hot air.