Getting reacquainted with the Sunrouge cultivar, which I first tasted during a trip to Shizuoka in 2018. Also bought a sencha made from this unique cultivar that year.
This cultivar is a cross between Camellia Sinensis and Camellia Taliensis, which produced tea leaves with a reddish purple hue. It is rich in anthocyanins, the antioxidant compounds commonly found in purple-coloured foods.
In Japan, it is widely planted at a plantation on an island called Tokunoshima, off the coast of Kagoshima prefecture. But in recent years, more farms in other tea regions began to plant this cultivar (and many others) as they try to diversify from the popular Yabukita cultivar.
This time the Sunrouge tea I bought is a kamairicha (pan-fired green tea), also a product of Shizuoka.
It is made by Moriuchi Tea Farm, located in a mountainous part of Aoi Ward of Shizuoka City in the tea region known as Honyama. The 9th generation of tea farmer produces a wide range of tea, from sencha to black tea, and anything in between. Notably, the farm has planted several types of cultivars, including the rare Marishi and also some Taiwanese varieties.
Moriuchi Tea Farm does not use pesticides or chemical fertilisers. In addition, they have won several industry awards over the years.
The Sunrouge cultivar is planted in a field that was left unattended for some years.
Production amount was limited. It was sold out shortly after I bought mine. There are 40g in one packet.
The dark green leaves were large and unrolled.
Steeped 3g at 80°C for one minute. I got a greyish green tea liquor, although it wasn’t too apparent in the photo here.
It was sweet and very fragrant. It was also less astringent. In fact, it has a very smooth mouthfeel.
As always, it was fun to add a dash of lemon juice, which turned the tea liquor pink. It was on the lighter side, though. Taste-wise, it was still sweet with a mild lemony flavour.
My subsequent steepings were without the lemon juice. The tea was delicious for up to 4 steepings.
Examining the used leaves, I could see the darker green leaves clearly, but most of them were just brown. Couldn’t really tell that they were originally reddish in colour (before processing).
At Moriuchi Tea Farm, the Sunrouge cultivar is also available as a hand-picked sencha.
The proprietors are also Nihoncha Instructors who conduct tours on their farm as well as offer experiences like hand-rolling tea. The farm is available as an experience in the prefecture’s tea tourism programme.
茶柱 The Floating Tea Stem 