Bancha is a common everyday tea. However, Sannen Bancha 三利番茶 is not a an ordinary tea at all. The name translates to "three-year bancha" and there are actually two different ways to make it. Either aging the processed tea for three years or leaving the tea bushes unharvested for three years. Our Bancha is the first case and it rested and matured for 3 years. Three-year-old Bancha has a very low content of irritants such as caffeine and catechins. So it can be enjoyed by people of all ages and at any time of the day.
How to properly prepare Sannen Bancha tea? It is very versatile tea and it can be prepared in several different ways. E.g. Steep 5 g of tea in 200 ml of boiling water for 2-3 minutes, or steep 2-3 g of tea in 200 ml of boiling water for 10-15 minutes for a more aromatic infusion. It is very refreshing in the Summer, especially if it is prepared in a cold way using 3 g of tea per 200 ml of water infused for several hours in the refrigerator (ideally overnight).
A Japanese specialty - tea with plum sauce offers a great way to fight fatigue. Mash one Umeboshi 梅干 (Japanese pickled plum) with some grated ginger and a dash of soy sauce and pour the cooked sannen bancha on top.
Sannen Bancha is inconspicuous and not very well known, but an absolutely amazing tea!
