Kenjo Kaga Bocha

Maruhachi Tea Factory was founded in Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture in 1863. This tea factory has been making the finest roasted teas for six generations, from the Edo Period to the present day. Kaga Bocha specifically has been crafted in Ishikawa Prefecture since the Meiji period.

After many years of practice, Maruhachi Tea Factory was asked to produce the finest quality kaga bocha for Emperor Showa, the 124th emperor of Japan, who favoured roasted teas as he grew older. To do this it was essential that they use high quality stems. The highest grade, and the ones sourced for this tea, are called miruibo, which means "young, soft and fresh." These stems are rarely produced by farmers, as they come exclusively from first harvest leaves.

There are two methods of roasting tea in Japan. One is the direct-fire method, in which tea leaves and/or stems are roasted directly on a hot iron plate. The second, and more time consuming one, is a sand-roasting method by which leaves and stems are mixed with hot sand and heated indirectly. Heat transfers gradually to the center of the tender stems, bringing out their complexity without over-roasting.

With the direct-fire method, the one most commonly used for hojichas, the roasted tea has a strong aroma and taste, and brews a dark liquor. With sand-roasting, the tea liquor is lighter in colour, and has a more nuanced aroma and taste. Maruhachi Tea Factory has only ever made bocha using the sand-roasting method. Nowadays, with consideration for food safety, instead of sand Maruhachi uses customized ceramic heaters that slowly roast the stems to the core, just as the sand would.

The result of this incredible craftsmanship is a tea that resides in a category of its own, and is unlike anything we have ever tasted. The flavour of kaga bocha is soft and gentle, but it has an undeniable intensity, whether you brew it hot or cold.

The wet tea smells like tobacco leaf, ashed cigar, and pandan. As we drink it, these aromatics settle in the center of our palate before moving upwards to fill our head. The sensation is so vaporous, it may feel like you are smoking it.

We call this tea "Cultivate's Bocha," as it reminds us of what we love about pu'erh: it is deep, it continues to surprise us, and as it does, invites openness and consideration.