Marushige Shimizu Tea Farm: 2023 Kabusecha Shaded Green Tea, Tobikkiri とびっきりかぶせ Marushige Shimizu Tea Farm

The word tobikkiri in Japanese means “extraordinary” or “a cut above the rest”. The Shimizu family named these leaves Tobikkiri because they are truly a cut above the rest of their teas having been refined from competition grade leaves.

To achieve this excellence, the harvest was shaded with a double layer for 2-3 weeks, dramatically reducing the sunlight that reaches the plant to increase the chlorophyll content and reduce the bitterness in the leaf. We suggest using a warm water steeping method (below) to enjoy the umami and sweet flavors first.

PRODUCT INFO

• Name: Kabusecha Shaded Green Tea, Tobikkiri
• Cultivar: Changes from year to year
• Cultivation & Processing Notes
• Shaded for about 2-3 weeks, overhead double covering
• Steaming: Regular steaming
• Tea field used for producing competition teas
• Harvest: May
• Region: Suizawa Village, Yokkaichi City, Mie Prefecture

STEEPING NOTES

Consider also cold steeping or ice steeping (see Steeping Techniques).

1st steeping

Tea: 5 grams or 1 teaspoon. Time: 2 minutes. Water: 50˚C/140˚F, 100 ml.

Use warm water: 50˚C/140˚F, with just enough water to cover the leaves used (5g of leaves or 1 teaspoon, about 120 ml of water). Steep for 2 minutes or until the leaves have soaked up the water. Pour a little at a time into tasting cups, alternating between cups to even out the flavor (thicker flavor will sit at the bottom of your pot)

2nd steeping

Tea: same. Time: 10-20 seconds. Water: 80˚C/176˚F, 180-240 ml (about 1 cup).

3rd steeping

Increase time to 30-45 seconds or to desired strength.