Master Akiyama’s Fuji Silk 2023
£8.95
A very early hand picked Shincha made from the uncommon “Marishi” cultivar (a hybrid of Yaeho and a wild tea) that has deep green leaves, very rich umami, and a long sweet taste. The cultivar’s developer Yamamori-san was a colleague of Akiyama-san’s and visited his farm sometimes to talk about farming with him. This year’s lack of frost meant that it was possible to make this special tea in ideal conditions. Handpicked from the 2nd April, with one person picking enough to make just three kilos of finished tea means that this is a very limited production tea which we are delighted to share.
We’ve named this tea Fuji Silk for its astonishingly silky texture, which coats the mouth with sweetness and umami like a great gyokuro. It’s rare for us to get such a limited production tea from Akiyama-san and we are delighted to be able to share it.
Unusually, Akiyama-san has given us specific instructions on how to get the most out of the tea. Use freshly boiled water that has been cooled to 50°C and 5g of tea for just 50ml of water, and brew for 90 seconds. For the second infusion, increase to 60°C and 80ml of water, and brew for just 15 seconds.
ORIGIN
Master Akiyama’s Farm, Fuji City, Mt Fuji, Shizuoka, Japan
SIZE OF FARM
10 acres
PLANTS AND PROCESSING
Camellia Sinensis Sinensis, Marishi cultivar. Light steaming (~30 sec). Harvested from April 2nd 2023.
BREWING GUIDELINE
50°C, 5g per cup. 3 infusions.
