How to Blend Konacha and Karigane
Many people who drink tea may find that they have their own individual preference for tea flavor. Some like their tea strong and astringent, while others may like a sweet, mellow flavor, or maybe a balance of both sweet and astringent. You may also find that certain flavors of tea pair well with different foods, or that you like one type of tea in winter and another in summer. It all depends on your individual preference. One way to create a flavor of tea, tailored to your own preference is by creating a blend of Konacha and Karigane, and then modifying the ratio, brewing time and perhaps water temperature.

Konacha is a natural byproduct of the traditional method of Japanese green tea production and thus it is an excellent value, much like Karigane. Especially high grade Konacha and Karigane sorted from highest grade Japanese tea have excellent flavor. It enhances and deepens the enjoyment of Konacha to blend Karigane with Konacha, because both flavors and brewing times are different despite the fact that both are teas of excellent value. Of course, both Konacha and Karigane should be sorted from high grade Japanese tea. For example, if you try Kukicha, which is made from stems and veins sorted from low grade Sencha and lower grade Konacha, it does not please the palate because the original tea source is neither excellent value nor flavor.

Ideal brewing times for Konacha and Karigane are different. Konacha brewing time is less than half that of Karigane. And the brewing time for Karigane is the same as typical Japanese green teas, Sencha or Gyokuro. So, you can enjoy the unique flavor with each infusion of Konacha. The first infusion flavor is relatively high proportion of Konacha, and the second and the third infusions are high proportion of Karigane. The tea will change in flavor with each brew.

To avoid too strong flavor, try brewing the first infusion for shorter time, similar to the Konacha brewing time. To brew rich flavor of Karigane fully, brew the second and the third infusion for longer time, similar to the Karigane brewing time.

We recommend blending Gyokuro Konacha with Gyokuro Karigane, and Sencha Konacha with Sencha Karigane. Especially it is quite elegant and unique flavor to blend Gyokuro Koncha Super Premium and Gyokuro Karigane Super Premium.

For blending ratio, we recommend starting with 50%:50%. Then you can modify the ratio and brewing time until you find your ideal flavor. It is a unique method to tailor your tea to suit your own individual taste preference.

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