Uejima Tea Farm: Wazuka Sannen Bancha, 3-year aged roasted bancha tea 京都宇治和束茶 三年番茶 Uejima Tea Farm

Perhaps you have heard of bancha but what exactly is a sannen bancha? Taking spring bancha, first flush tea leaves harvested after they have grown large (late flushing spring leaves), Uejima-san processes them into dry leaf, then puts them into storage for at least 3 years. After pulling the leaves out of storage, they are then roasted. A tea that is considered to be friendly for all ages because; in comparison to sencha, it has less caffeine and tannins, which can be stimulating for some. A tea that can be enjoyed hot or cold, and don’t forget to appreciate that it was sleeping (i.e., in storage) for 3 years!! 

* Generally, Japanese tea (i.e., sencha) is made from harvesting, steaming and processing the new buds of tea bushes. These types of teas are considered best when drunk fresh. However, sannen bancha is a little different in that it comes from bushes that have been uncut for three years or from stems and leaves that have matured for three years. 

Product Info

• Ingredients: Green tea
• Net weight: 100g bag
• Cultivar: —
• Harvest: Spring
• Region: Wazuka Village, Kyoto Prefecture

About Tea Farmer: Noriyasu Uejima

Noriyasu Uejima is a tea master. In the 90+ year old tea tasting competition held in Kyoto, he is the only winner to ever achieve a perfect score. Cultivating and processing some of Kyoto’s finest teas, the Ritz Carlton Hotel of Kyoto features his teas in their line up for guests. He is the 5th generation master farmer carrying on a tradition that dates back to the mid-19th century when his ancestor started the Uejima family as a branch family of an even older main family. The farm also operates the Wazuka Village’s Wazuka Cha Cafe.

Please read more about Uejima-san and get to know this amazing tea farmer better through an interview that was posted in February 2021. Enjoy!