Toshifumi Shibamoto, a new generation in the Makinohara hills. Wakoucha Tasting Tea N°25, Benihikari, Shibamoto, first flush 2018

Toshifumi Shibamoto was born in 1986 as the third generation of a farming family in the foothills of Makinohara in Shizuaoka. It was written in the stars that he would continue the work of his father and grandfather, but he was also driven by an incredible thirst for knowledge and curiosity about tea, and after is his Agricultural studies he went to the Nishiusuki school to study kamairicha, as the first person from the Shizuoka region. For two and a half year he studied there and he returns every year to gain additional insights. Driven by his insatiable curiosity he also trained with Miyazaki Sabou, one of the pioneers of Japanese oolong and wakoucha, and twice a year he returns to Gokase to practice. Today he keeps on experimenting and learning, and he makes interesting and excellent oolong teas and wakoucha.

Picture take from the company's website: https://kamacha.jimdofree.com/

The Shibamoto fertilizers ! https://kamacha.jimdofree.com/

Benihikari Wakoucha, Shibamoto, 1st flush, Shizuoka

Manually harvested in May 2018 at 200m above sea level. Organic. Hand-rolled. 31 euro for 100 gram. 98°C, kyusu, 150ml, 2 mins, 3 gram.

Remarkable big leaves, very intact. The wet leaves delivered a remarkably complex smell of spices and herbs (and fish?), like a complete kitchen. They were very big, complete and with their stem, and the colour varied from lightbrown to green, a quite light oxydation. The colour of the infusion was remarkable for a red tea: dark yellow, like a golden honey, with tinges of green and brown. The smell was very complex and hard to describe, but things like freshly baked bread, nuts, hay and dried fruits came to mind. The taste was rich and mellow, with a sweet touch of honey, but it also reminded me a lot of a first flush Darjeeling, and here too the bread came back. Long finish.
Second brew, same parameters: nice and mellow, very drinkable with a thick mouthfeel. Long finish.

There are quite a lot kamairicha-producers who experiment with red teas and oolongs. This was one of the first for me whose profile went into the direction of first flush Darjeeling, and it made this a very interesting and drinkable tea. It is still available on the Yutaka website: https://www.yutaka-tee.de/de/shibamoto-handgerollter-schwarztee-beni-hikari.html