Dust and Smoke | 尘烟 | ほこりの雲

A Night Tea Blend of Japanese Kyobancha

Tea in Focus: Kyoto Kyobancha 京番茶

Blending Ingredients: Egyptian Chamomile, Indian Ginger

In the Japanese language, "ban" (番) means common or usual. A bancha (番茶) is thus an everyday tea, drank by the common people. This bancha is made in the ancient capital of Kyoto and it adopts the simpler style of tea processing - the rolling is skipped, resulting in its unruly style. The high firing also allows the tea to acquire a smoky aroma. The leaves are harvested after the main and higher grade harvests in spring. It is evidently coarsely picked, with large leaves, twigs and stems, reflecting its main use in serving the common people daily.

Our philosophy for tea blending is first to focus on the tea, and to use the creativity of blending to bring out stories and new flavours. We name them in an unusual manner to attempt to highlight certain philosophies or notions. This tea blend brings forth the busy lifestyle of the common urbanites, where nights are late and meals are missed. The blending ingredients are known to improve sleep quality, improve digestion and reduce blood sugar content. These are also the common health benefits of camellia sinensis tea leaves. The choice of older and larger leaves instead of tender new buds ensures a lower caffeine level, which makes it suitable as a night tea. 

This blending ingredients impart a thicker and more lasting profile to Kyobancha, and soften the harsher (yet attractive) smokiness of its processing style.

Read more about our philosophy here.