Iribancha

A Green Tea from

Rating

81 / 100

Calculated from 4 Ratings
Tea type
Green Tea
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Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Smoke, Umami, Ash, Autumn Leaf Pile, Campfire, Wood, Bitter
Sold in
Bulk, Loose Leaf, Sachet
Caffeine
Low
Certification
Not available
Typical Preparation
Use 34 oz / 1000 ml of water
Set water temperature to 170 °F / 76 °C
Use 10 g of tea
Steep for 8 min or more
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3 Tasting Notes View all

“Not for the faint of heart. Iribancha is a traditional Japanese specialty tea from the Kyoto region. It is VERY heavily smoked, with an intense “smokey/burned” smell reminiscent almost of...” Read full tasting note
“I picked up a pouch of this in one-pot teabags to accompany my pretty new Ippodo glass carafe. I’ve been cold brewing constantly lately so they got me good when they sent an email advertising it… ...” Read full tasting note
“The tea has a rather smokey aroma and this also reflects in the taste. The bitterness of the tea leaves and the bitter scent of the smoked aroma collaborate nicely to imbue the tea with a strong...” Read full tasting note

Description

The word bancha has 2 meanings: daily casual tea, and local tea. In the Kyoto area, when people use the word “bancha”, more often than not they are referring to iribancha.

Iribancha has long been a favorite tea among Kyotoites. After the first tea picking of the year, leaves, stems and small twigs from the lower portions of the tea plant are collected, steamed, dried (but not rolled), and roasted at high heat. The result is an unmistakably unique smoky flavor and aroma, somewhat similar to the smell of a campfire or bonfire. This is definitely a tea that needs to be sampled firsthand to be fully appreciated.

This 150 g bag is ideal for preparing only a small number of servings, or for newcomers to iribancha. People drinking iribancha for the first time are often surprised by its unique aroma. If you are new to iribancha, why not give it a try with this small amount.

Japanese green tea begins to lose its aroma after it is opened, so please drink it up within two weeks after opening the package, particularly in the case of iribancha, whose strong point is its a unique aroma. The tea will still be OK to drink after two weeks, but its flavor will gradually deteriorate. People used to drinking it in large quantities will want to purchase the 400 g bag. Choose the size that suits you.

About Ippodo Tea

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