Sayama Japanese black tea Yume Wakaba, 50 g
The dark colour dried leaves of the Japanese black tea, Saitama Yume Wakaba Wakocha
We have sampled quite a range of Japanese black tea from different regions by producers large and small, and found this most palatable one from a tiny farm in Sayama
the infused leaves of Yume Wakaba black tea
The infused leaves reveal a tea processed more akin to a deeper oxidised oolong than a black tea. The taste profile reflects somewhat similarly as well. It is a cross between an oolong and a black tea, and enjoyable that way
The bright, clear intensely red liquor colour of Yume Wakaba black tea
The liquor is vibrantly red and clear, delivering a soft, pleasing profile when infused properly. Here we have tried it using a Japanese chachu that is unglazed, for its ability to deliver a more balance body when infusing using a higher leaf ratio.
The very dark colour of the volcanic soil we found in most tea gardens in Sayama
This ultra rich volcanic soil seems to me a critical element in the resultant tea profile of Master Shimizu's productions.
Half-dried daikon forgotten in the tea garden
Like all traditional tea farmers who respect the soil in their own tea gardens, we found they grow their own food along the tea bushes. This little batch of daikon has been forgotten during harvest though.

Sayama Japanese black tea Yume Wakaba, 50 g

(1 customer review)

US$24.0

excluding tax and tariff

狭山和紅茶 夢若葉

Wakocha from volcanic soil made by 17th generation tea master

A limited size production rolled with a wooden roller for lengthening the oxidation duration vs the speed, this exceptional “wakocha” — Japanese black tea — of purely the leaves of the local cultivar Yume Wakaba — ゆめわかば (kanji: 夢若葉) is the prized production by the multiple award winning Master Shimizu. These leaves grown on the dark volcanic soil of the Sayama area carry with them a distinctive mineral character like no other we have tasted. It is also the attention and skills by this 17th generation tea farmer that has made this tea stands out so well to convince us to have it as the first Japanese black tea in our collection.

Delta classInfusion colour: WolfberryTCM NeutralStaff Pick iconGreat Value icon

Net weight: 50 g (1.8 oz) in Kraft-alu pack

Only 1 left in stock

SKU: 702600026047 Categories: , , , , , Tags: , , , , , , Brand:
000

Taste profile

Nose: Lively, flowery aroma with a glutenous rice overtone. Fruity notes. Distinctive accents of dried Chinese licorice and other herbal barks. Undertones of wheat bread crust. Palate: Soft, silky body with a cooling sensation. Fruity with tints of minerals. Light, but consistent accents of dried Chinese licorice and herbal barks. Finish: Cooling, refreshing with that ‘minty’ effect of those dried barks and roots.

Infusion suggestion

Try to get the most of the leaves from the first infusion. Use a 2.5g leaves to each 100ml water ratio for at least 5 minutes infusion. Use a Yixing teapot if you have one. Otherwise a non-glazed stoneware would help as well. 95°C water temperature and always preheat your teapot/infusion ware. Enjoy.

Photo of Master Shimizu and Leo together

In the small reception room packed with award certificates at Shimizu’s. The humble tea master rarely smiles

Master Shimizu — a tea professional with a principle

When I first tasted old Master Shimizu’s Yume Wakaba black tea I told him that I was very interested. It was the most taste-worthy “wakocha” — Japanese black tea — I have tried through the three years I have been looking for a proper candidate to include in my collection. He said he would not sell me the tea. Not just yet. He insisted that the tea needed to be rested at least till winter before it had its full profile. Hearing that from a Japanese tea professional was a great relief. There are serious practioners here who are also serious enough to not follow the market craze for the fresher the better myth.

Maybe that’s a tradition of his family: the family name Shimizu 清水 — Clear Water — resonates an East Asian dissident virtue of staying uncontaminated in a murky world. I suspect that is a name his forefather made during the Edo period when they first farmed tea here. Will find out later.

We have further aged the tea for a few months for an optimum taste profile before having it available online.

Additional information

Shipping Weight 90 g
Dimensions 18 × 9 × 5 cm
Net weight:

Tea category:

Class:

Origin:

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Infusion color:

Vintage

1 review for Sayama Japanese black tea Yume Wakaba, 50 g

Customer Images

Image #1 from NN
Image #2 from NN
Image #3 from NN
Image #4 from NN
Image #1 from NN

NN

Wakocha with the complexity of the finest dancong and yancha – this is incredible. The flavors are so thick, I feel like I need a steak knife when drinking this tea. It has a deep, umami-rich spine that is unmistakably Japanese, and yet its outward expressions are overtly floral & fruity in a way that would make any oolong blush – baked or bouquet. These are Fenghuang flowers and Wuyi fruits riding on a gigantic wave of Japanese umami. I enjoy brewing this up similarly to how I brew competition-grade Oriental Beauty. 5 grams of leaf, 100 mL Rural Life gaiwan, three steeps in total. Initial steep of 45 seconds at 180*F, second steep for 90 seconds at 183*F, third steep for 180 seconds at 186*F. Pay attention to how you pour – if you have a gooseneck kettle, dribble deliberately along the exterior of the wall in a rapid circular motion, allowing the momentum of the sliding water to gently draw the leaves downward and tumble them around. This technique takes time to dial in because the hand moves quickly while the kettle pours slowly, and maintaining consistency in the dribble requires practice. Osmanthus, Damask rose, fresh-cut violets and orchids, with a chameleon-like fruitiness that constantly shifts around between tangy yuzu, ripe strawberries, and sweet raspberries to jammy notes of Mesquite-grilled apricots, figs, and plums. I also get a distinctly clear note of raw Manuka honey – sweet, cooling, and soothing at the same time. I will miss this wakocha dearly when it is gone.

(1) (0)
Image #2 from NN

NN

Wakocha with the complexity of the finest dancong and yancha – this is incredible. The flavors are so thick, I feel like I need a steak knife when drinking this tea. It has a deep, umami-rich spine that is unmistakably Japanese, and yet its outward expressions are overtly floral & fruity in a way that would make any oolong blush – baked or bouquet. These are Fenghuang flowers and Wuyi fruits riding on a gigantic wave of Japanese umami. I enjoy brewing this up similarly to how I brew competition-grade Oriental Beauty. 5 grams of leaf, 100 mL Rural Life gaiwan, three steeps in total. Initial steep of 45 seconds at 180*F, second steep for 90 seconds at 183*F, third steep for 180 seconds at 186*F. Pay attention to how you pour – if you have a gooseneck kettle, dribble deliberately along the exterior of the wall in a rapid circular motion, allowing the momentum of the sliding water to gently draw the leaves downward and tumble them around. This technique takes time to dial in because the hand moves quickly while the kettle pours slowly, and maintaining consistency in the dribble requires practice. Osmanthus, Damask rose, fresh-cut violets and orchids, with a chameleon-like fruitiness that constantly shifts around between tangy yuzu, ripe strawberries, and sweet raspberries to jammy notes of Mesquite-grilled apricots, figs, and plums. I also get a distinctly clear note of raw Manuka honey – sweet, cooling, and soothing at the same time. I will miss this wakocha dearly when it is gone.

(1) (0)
Image #3 from NN

NN

Wakocha with the complexity of the finest dancong and yancha – this is incredible. The flavors are so thick, I feel like I need a steak knife when drinking this tea. It has a deep, umami-rich spine that is unmistakably Japanese, and yet its outward expressions are overtly floral & fruity in a way that would make any oolong blush – baked or bouquet. These are Fenghuang flowers and Wuyi fruits riding on a gigantic wave of Japanese umami. I enjoy brewing this up similarly to how I brew competition-grade Oriental Beauty. 5 grams of leaf, 100 mL Rural Life gaiwan, three steeps in total. Initial steep of 45 seconds at 180*F, second steep for 90 seconds at 183*F, third steep for 180 seconds at 186*F. Pay attention to how you pour – if you have a gooseneck kettle, dribble deliberately along the exterior of the wall in a rapid circular motion, allowing the momentum of the sliding water to gently draw the leaves downward and tumble them around. This technique takes time to dial in because the hand moves quickly while the kettle pours slowly, and maintaining consistency in the dribble requires practice. Osmanthus, Damask rose, fresh-cut violets and orchids, with a chameleon-like fruitiness that constantly shifts around between tangy yuzu, ripe strawberries, and sweet raspberries to jammy notes of Mesquite-grilled apricots, figs, and plums. I also get a distinctly clear note of raw Manuka honey – sweet, cooling, and soothing at the same time. I will miss this wakocha dearly when it is gone.

(1) (0)
Image #4 from NN

NN

Wakocha with the complexity of the finest dancong and yancha – this is incredible. The flavors are so thick, I feel like I need a steak knife when drinking this tea. It has a deep, umami-rich spine that is unmistakably Japanese, and yet its outward expressions are overtly floral & fruity in a way that would make any oolong blush – baked or bouquet. These are Fenghuang flowers and Wuyi fruits riding on a gigantic wave of Japanese umami. I enjoy brewing this up similarly to how I brew competition-grade Oriental Beauty. 5 grams of leaf, 100 mL Rural Life gaiwan, three steeps in total. Initial steep of 45 seconds at 180*F, second steep for 90 seconds at 183*F, third steep for 180 seconds at 186*F. Pay attention to how you pour – if you have a gooseneck kettle, dribble deliberately along the exterior of the wall in a rapid circular motion, allowing the momentum of the sliding water to gently draw the leaves downward and tumble them around. This technique takes time to dial in because the hand moves quickly while the kettle pours slowly, and maintaining consistency in the dribble requires practice. Osmanthus, Damask rose, fresh-cut violets and orchids, with a chameleon-like fruitiness that constantly shifts around between tangy yuzu, ripe strawberries, and sweet raspberries to jammy notes of Mesquite-grilled apricots, figs, and plums. I also get a distinctly clear note of raw Manuka honey – sweet, cooling, and soothing at the same time. I will miss this wakocha dearly when it is gone.

(1) (0)
Image #1 from NN
Image #2 from NN
Image #3 from NN
Image #4 from NN
5.0 Rating
1-1 of 1 review
  1. NN
    verified purchased

    Wakocha with the complexity of the finest dancong and yancha – this is incredible. The flavors are so thick, I feel like I need a steak knife when drinking this tea.

    It has a deep, umami-rich spine that is unmistakably Japanese, and yet its outward expressions are overtly floral & fruity in a way that would make any oolong blush – baked or bouquet. These are Fenghuang flowers and Wuyi fruits riding on a gigantic wave of Japanese umami.

    I enjoy brewing this up similarly to how I brew competition-grade Oriental Beauty.

    5 grams of leaf, 100 mL Rural Life gaiwan, three steeps in total. Initial steep of 45 seconds at 180*F, second steep for 90 seconds at 183*F, third steep for 180 seconds at 186*F. Pay attention to how you pour – if you have a gooseneck kettle, dribble deliberately along the exterior of the wall in a rapid circular motion, allowing the momentum of the sliding water to gently draw the leaves downward and tumble them around. This technique takes time to dial in because the hand moves quickly while the kettle pours slowly, and maintaining consistency in the dribble requires practice.

    Osmanthus, Damask rose, fresh-cut violets and orchids, with a chameleon-like fruitiness that constantly shifts around between tangy yuzu, ripe strawberries, and sweet raspberries to jammy notes of Mesquite-grilled apricots, figs, and plums. I also get a distinctly clear note of raw Manuka honey – sweet, cooling, and soothing at the same time.

    I will miss this wakocha dearly when it is gone.

    Image #1 from NN
    Image #2 from NN
    Image #3 from NN
    Image #4 from NN
    (1) (0)
    • Leo Kwan
      Store manager

      You said one thing that really resonates when I first tasted the tea — this is more like a deep oxidation oolong than a traditional black tea. It has a little bit of Fenghuang Dancong, Wuyi Rock Tea and Oriental Beauty all in one tea and yet it feels everything are from its own. I have avoided purposely to say that in the product description fearing that the reader may get confused. It surely feels good that another tea nerd like me has now said it. Thank you!

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