At the end of July, this year's Awa Bancha was harvested in Kamikatsu Town.
Despite the intense heat and unpredictable weather with occasional rain, we managed to finish picking all the tea leaves safely.
The tea is harvested on steep slopes in the mountains, surrounded by nature.
The tea leaves had taken firm roots on a slope so steep that they could not stand upright, and they looked very healthy, bathed in plenty of sunlight and mountain air.
While working in the hot sun is physically draining, the intermittent rain provides a bit of cooling relief.
The process of picking each leaf by hand in this natural rhythm was painstaking yet deeply memorable.
Awa Bancha is a "post-fermented tea" made by fermenting tea leaves picked in the summer using lactic acid bacteria.
After the harvest, the fermentation process begins immediately, which involves sorting the tea leaves, boiling them, rolling them, and packing them into barrels.
This time-consuming process creates the gentle acidity and aroma that is unique to Awa Bancha.
This tea is truly made through the collaboration of nature and human hands.
After fermentation for about a month,
We look forward to the day when we can deliver this special drink to you all again.
Lastly, thank you to everyone who participated in the harvest!
