“Broth, Butternut Squash, Creamy, Grass, Lemon, Seaweed, Spinach, Sweet. Ages very well (2+ years).” Read full tasting note
“Backlog: Mellow Monk is one of my favorite sources for top notch Japanese Teas. I’ve not been disappointed by anything that I’ve tried from them, and they carry one of my all-time favorite green...” Read full tasting note
“This is my second free tea sample for review from Paul at Mellow Monk. Thanks again, Paul, for the opportunity to try your lovely teas! This is Mellow Monk’s version of sencha, and the 1228 refers...” Read full tasting note
“When Paul at Mellow Monk told me that Kuma Green 1228 was in the same family as Top Leaf, I couldn’t wait to try it. Comparing the dry leaves, I can absolutely see it. Appearance wise, I can hardly...” Read full tasting note
A brightly herbaceous guricha-style sencha, with a sweetness highlighted with fruity notes — apples, melon, and white wine grapes. Made from yabukita tea plants grown in the rolling hills of Kuma County, tended and crafted into tea by artisan Kazuo Watanabe.
Kuma Green 1228™ is the culmination of all the teamaking skills of a stubbornly old-fashioned artisan, Kazuo Watanabe, who personally tends to his plants, harvests the leaves, and turns them into guricha-style sencha green tea of the highest quality.
The name “Kuma Green 1228™” refers to the address of Mr. Watanabe’s estate in Sagara Village, in Kumamoto Prefecture’s Kuma district. This area is renowned for traditional tea estates ensconced among its gently rolling hills, whose rich soil and ideal water drainage provide the yabukita plants with a wonderfully nurturing environment in which to thrive.
Mr. Watanabe is a two-time recipient of Japan’s prestigious Minister’s Award for his dedication to quality. He tends to his plants with what can only be called tenderness. In the documentary Japan, Where Japan’s Green Tea Grows, he says his tea plants are like his children, and this dedication to high-quality teacrafting is abundantly evident in every sip of this smile-inducingly delicious tea.
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