Japanese Bancha Arashiyama Autumnal Loose Leaf Green Tea Rare Outside Japan

Arashiyama is an area on the western outskirts of Kyoto and translates as Storm Mountain. Arashiyama is home to some of the oldest tea gardens in Japan, starting over 800 years ago, as well as the famous Sagano Bamboo Forest and home to wild monkeys. Bancha leaves are usually plucked later in the season and as a result are stronger in flavour than the more delicate first flush plucking. I really enjoy Bancha teas and this one is particularly good, they are praised for their health-giving properties, and are part of the everyday teas drunk by the majority of Japanese people. Bancha teas, because they are made from older and therefore tougher leaves contain less caffeine than tender new shoots. I made this tea using that is not boiling, approximately 80°C, for roughly four to five minutes, obviously this rather depends on personal preference. As with all green teas, the leaves can be re-infused three or four times, adjusting brewing time accordingly.