Miyazaki Roasted Oolong

Gokase lies in the Takachiho highlands, a mountainous region that covers the northwest of Miyazaki. At roughly 600 to 700 metres elevation, the terrain here is steep and the air is cool. Gokase is one of the few places in Japan where the traditional pan-firing method of crafting tea has remained alive, even as steamed tea became the common method for crafting Japanese green teas.

Miyazaki Sabo grow and process all of their own teas and have been a pesticide-free organic farm since 1983. They produce over thirty types of tea, varying across kamairicha, oolong, black tea, and bancha, all from leaves they grow in their own tea gardens.

This unusual tea is the first roasted oolong we’ve ever tasted from Japan! It is crafted from the rare Kōshun (香駿) varietal, a highly aromatic Japanese cultivar known for its distinct floral and herbaceous fragrance – like jasmine, sakura and orchid – and its cool, lingering sweetness.

These leaves were harvested in 2025 and aged for 1 year before being slow roasted. The patient roasting achieves a rounder, mellower tea and adds a toasted depth that balances the varietal’s heady floral characteristics.

This oolong has a great deal of depth, but it delivers it softly. It is gently warming and very soothing. The synthesis of its floral notes and roasted sweetness gives it notes of chocolate, rambutan, and cacao shell. The impressive quality of this tea and its craftsmanship is evident in the clarity and delicateness with which it delivers such a strong profile. It remains pleasing, lovely, and increasingly herbaceous through many infusions.