Kumamoto Koushun Wakoucha - Second Flush
Ocha No KajiharaKoushun’s unique floral aroma and natural sweetness is captured in this second flush black tea. As this cultivar was bred for green tea, when made into a black tea, it has a lighter body and a refreshing finish.
Producer: Kajihara
Region: Ashikita, Kumamoto
Elevation: 150m
Cultivar: Koushun
Harvested: July, 2025
Picking: Handheld Machine
A mountainous prefecture on Kyushu, Kumamoto has a long history of tea production, dating back to the 12th century. Its mineral-rich volcanic soils are perfect for agriculture. In the 1600s, the pan-firing or kamairi (釜炒り) method of the production was introduced from China. Along with Saga, Kumamoto is the primary producing region of kamairicha and its unique traditional processing style is called aoyagisei kamairicha (青柳製釜炒り茶), making use of a general purpose flat wok as opposed to the purpose-built angled pans used in Saga.
Kumamoto was also the site of the first ever Japanese black tea (wakoucha) production, with the first black tea training centre opening in 1875.
Derived from a 1970 cross between Kurasawa and Kanayamidori, Koushun has grown popular among drinkers of single cultivar teas since its registration in 2000.
It is famous for its unique and powerful floral aroma which is remarkably strong and distinct from that of Yabukita. This aroma makes it ideal not only for light-steamed sencha, but also for production as oxidised teas, such as oolongs and black teas.
Brewing Instructions
Traditional
Hot Tea
Use 3 g (0.11 oz) of tea leaves for every 140 ml (4.73 oz) of water
Heat your water to 95º C (203º F) or let it cool slightly from boiling
Let it steep for 2 minutes before pouring slowly until the last drop. Enjoy!
Ocha no Kajihara (お茶のカジハラ)
Toshihiro Kajihara (梶原敏弘) is a third-generation tea farmer, who has been making tea for around 40 years. He is dedicated to preserving the tradition of kamairicha in an industry that is increasingly moving towards steamed teas. He has also travelled to the tea-producing regions of Taiwan and China to learn more about oolong and black tea production techniques.
The mountainous village of Ashikita in Kumamoto is not typically seen as a tea producing area as tea grown here was mostly consumed within the town. Nonetheless, following World War II, the Kajihara family began began a tea business specialising in the local kamairicha (釜炒り茶) style, which is a green tea that is pan-fired rather than steamed in order to stop oxidation.
When founding their tea business, the Kajihara family discovered a plot of yamacha (山茶 - mountain tea), which are ’wild’ and uncultivated seed-grown tea plants. These plants have been preserved to this day, hand-picked to produce an exquisite tea. In addition to kamairicha, Kajihara also produces oolongs, wakoucha, from cultivars such as Yabukita, Okuyutaka, Izumi, Koushun, Benifuuki, and even the local zairai.