All About Kabusecha

Above: Takaki san's Gyokuro field in Hoshino Village in Yame.

Above: Takaki san's white tea fields

PROCESS

Time and darkness: the two elements that determine what kind of tea you're going to have. Shading materials can be mixed and adjusted at certain times based on which leaves have appeared, and gradually increased as time passes.

Unlike gyokuro, which at its most intense just before plucking has a light cut rate of about 95-98%, and an overall shading period that lasts for 20-25 days, Kabusecha is relatively milder.

For first-flush Kabusecha, light is restricted 60-85% and for around 10-14 days. For the second flush, the light is cut at the same intensity but for 7-10 days. 

Shading tea has occurred for centuries in Japan. Although the material has changed over time, the results have not.

Early farmers used yoshizu, reed screens, and wara, straw, to cover their tea trees. Modern farmers may use synthetic covers, kanreisha, or a combination of the two. When it comes to synthetics, the material needs to cut light, but also be permeable to air to prevent the new buds from burning as temperatures begin to climb around the time of second flush. Layering different materials not only allows farmers to control how much light the plants get, and but also allows for creative application that meets the amount of labor available.

Shading can be applied in three main ways:

• TANA GAKE:  Covering is placed on a shelf constructed over the tea trees so that they are not directly touched by the material (see above the photo of Takaki san's white tea fields).
• TUNNEL GAKE: A tunnel structure is formed over and around the tea trees with a metal skeleton, and then the cover is placed over it. Usually using synthetic material.
• JIKA GAKE: Direct covering of the tea tree top, usually secured to prevent movement during wind and injury to new buds. Some modern picking machines have attachments that can drag the cover over the rows, cutting down on the labor required.

Above: Hatsuno Kabusecha, by Takaki san.

A deeper green color: As light is restricted, the chlorophyll in the tea leaves increases, making a rich green leaf color. However, if you cut off all light, you get the yellowy-gold of white tea, another kind of shaded tea (with the highest amino acid content of all).

Soft leaves: Up to 70% light restriction makes the area of the tea leaf quickly spread, making the meat of the leaf thin and the veins are more sparsely distributed. 

Lovely aroma: Kabuseka かぶせ香, or Ooika 覆い香, refers to the aroma that occurs in all kinds of shaded tea, with Tencha being the most fragrant. Said to be a mariney, seaweed smell, it is attributed to dimethyl sulfide, which is produced during the heating process of tea manufacturing. Another aromatic compound called Ionane has been reported to be increased in shaded tea, and is said to have a woody, violet smell. 

Intense umami: Theanine, the amino acid that provides that rich umami, is found in high levels in shaded tea. Without sunlight to degrade it, shaded tea has more amino acids, and thus higher umami. Additionally, compared to uncovered tea, shaded tea has a lower concentration of ECGC, the main catechin found in tea leaves.

All our kabusecha come from Yame, which makes sense, since shaded tree cultivation in the form of Gyokuro has been going on for centuries in this area.