Goishicha 碁石茶 is a relatively rare Japanese dark (post-fermented) tea produced in the city of Ōtoyo in Kochi Prefecture. The tea leaves for this tea grow in a natural and wild environment in the middle of the Shikoku mountains under direct sunlight. The harvest takes place from mid-June to July. The raw material comes from tea bushes growing wild in the mountains. The tea is allowed to sit and settle for several years. The result is a sweet and delicate drink without astringency, but with a pleasant and balanced acidity. The taste is sour and sweet, develops a light minerality and leaves a pleasant fresh feeling in the mouth. More
Goishicha 碁石茶 is a relatively rare Japanese dark (post-fermented) tea produced in the city of Ōtoyo in Kochi Prefecture. The tea leaves for this tea grow in a natural and wild environment in the middle of the Shikoku mountains under direct sunlight. The harvest takes place from mid-June to July. The raw material comes from tea bushes growing wild in the mountains.
The tea is allowed to sit and settle for several years. The result is a sweet and delicate drink without astringency, but with a pleasant and balanced acidity. Large dry tea leaves are tightly layered and have a rich, dark, reddish-brown color. Their aroma is piercing and strong, reminiscent of brine, prunes, licorice and Hijiki seaweed. The infusion is yellow-orange, clean and bright. On the nose you can smell hints of citrus peel, ume and raisins with vague hints of Kombu seaweed. The taste is sour and sweet, develops a light minerality and leaves a pleasant fresh feeling in the mouth. Tea is very tasty, but most people consume it primarily for its comprehensive health benefits.
You may sometimes hear of Goishicha tea as a fermented bancha, but the resulting product has nothing to do with green tea. The reason the tea is called Goishicha is because the chopped squares resemble the black stones of the board game "go". This tea goes through two fermentation steps, one in the presence of molds and the other with the help of lactic acid bacteria.
Goishicha production is almost exclusively limited to the area around the town of Ootoyo in Kōchi Prefecture, where it is registered as a trademark of the Ootoyo Town Goishicha Cooperative. The exact moment of its beginning in Japan is unknown, but it is believed that Goishicha first appeared in the 18th century. Although not historically confirmed, its similarity to fermented teas produced by ethnic minorities in southwestern China, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand (such as Myanmar's lahpet or Thai miang pickled tea) suggests that knowledge of its production process may have reached Japan through cultural and trade exchanges with China and Southeast Asia, so they date back to ancient times. Goishicha tea production peaked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries before demand declined and completely collapsed during the Shōwa era (1926-1989). The crisis was caused by changing dietary habits and the depopulation of rural areas along with an aging farming population. Only the Ogasawara family continued the tradition, eventually remaining one of the few Goishicha makers in the entire country.
