Wakoucha is a nickname recently given to black teas made in Japan ("Wa" means Japanese, and "Koucha" means black tea). Even though most Japanese people have forgotten nowadays, Japanese black teas in fact have over 130 years of history as an export product. Wakoucha has a bright reddish hue, flowery flavor, little astringency, soft and smooth taste and slightly sweet aftertaste. More
Wakoucha is a nickname recently given to black teas made in Japan ("Wa" means Japanese, and "Koucha" means black tea). Even though most Japanese people have forgotten nowadays, Japanese black teas in fact have over 130 years of history as an export product. Japanese black teas were once a major trade item of Japan from mid-Meiji era to mid-Showa era (1880-1950). The gross production amount per year exceeded 8500 tons at the peak. Though economic growth after WWII and accompanying inflation made Japanese black teas non-competitive in the global market, some growers retained black-tea manufacturing and recently succeeded in reviving the production renaming it as "wakoucha". Almost all recent wakoucha target the domestic tea market and it steadily increases their fans.
Cultivars grown for producing wakoucha vary widely, Yabukita やぶきた in the case of this tea. Wakoucha has a bright reddish hue, flowery flavor, little astringency, soft and smooth taste and slightly sweet aftertaste. An experienced tongue can recognize sweet caramel tones. Our organic Wakoucha grows in Shizuoka, Harunocho Isagawa district. Some traders describe our tea as resembling quality season teas from Sri Lanka's Nuwara-Elliya or Kandy.
The History of Black Tea (Wakoucha) in Japan: From Curiosity to Craft
When most people think of Japanese tea, green tea varieties like sencha, gyokuro, or matcha usually come to mind. But Japan also produces black tea, known locally as Wakoucha (和紅茶)—literally "Japanese red tea." Though a niche within Japanese tea culture, wakoucha has a rich history intertwined with exploration, innovation, and adaptation. Wakoucha is the term used in Japan to describe domestically produced black tea. The name distinguishes it from imported black teas (koucha, 紅茶), which became popular during the Meiji period.
