This Month's Tea - Konacha

This Month's Tea - Konacha

Subcategories

What is Konacha?

Konacha is made from the specks and tiny tea leaves of Gyokuro or Sencha tea leaves. Konacha is less expensive than tea leaves because Konacha is a natural byproduct of traditional tea processing, like Karigane. Especially Konacha, sorted from high grade tea leaves, has a better flavor than tea leaves of a similarly low price.

Our Konacha is made from specks and tiny tea leaves of high grade Gyokuro or Sencha, because specks sorted from middle or low grade tea leaves have an undesirable flavor.

In Japan, tea connoisseurs search for high quality Konacha. High quality Konacha is sometimes difficult to find. Konacha accounts for only 10% of all tea leaves. Besides, top quality tea leaves are grown in limited quantity. Hibiki-an is able to have a steady supply of Konacha because we grow and sell only high grade tea leaves.
  • The brewed infusion color is deeper than regular Gyokuro due to the very fine dusting of tea leaf, one characteristic of Konacha.

  • Konacha is sorted specks and tiny tea leaves from high grade Gyokuro or Sencha.

  • Left side is Gyokuro Konacha tea leaves and right side is regular Gyokuro. You can see that Konacha is a very fine dusting of tea leaf.

  • Specks or tiny tea leaves for Konacha are sorted at several steps of the finishing process. This step is first sorting Aracha unprocessed tea leaves.

  • This step is second sorting Aracha unprocessed tea leaves.

  • At this step, tea leaves are divided into specks and Mecha sprout tea leaves.