Bancha - Organic

Picture of Bancha
Brand:Rishi Tea
Style:Bancha
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Region:Kagoshima, Japan
Loose/teabag:Loose
Product page:Bancha

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This tea's info last updated: Jan. 5, 2018

Commercial Description

Bancha is a common style of traditional Japanese green tea made of older leaves and stems from the autumnal and winter harvests. Our organic Bancha is a great, everyday organic green tea with a refreshing flavor, golden infusion and pleasant roasted aroma.

Brewing Instructions: (from Rishi Tea)

Water: 185°F / Leaves: 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces / Infusion Time: 3–4 minutes

Ratings & Reviews

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Reviewer pic81 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
(1448 reviews) on

I found this tea to be very different based on how it is brewed.

The light, flat quality of the dry leaf reminds me of dragon well, but the similarity ends there. This tea brews a very clear greenish-yellow color. Regardless of how strongly you brew it, it comes out completely transparent: there's almost no opacity, unlike Sencha and other Japanese green teas I've tried.

Aroma is rich and homey, suggestive of corn and honey. Interestingly, I find that brewing more strongly does not particularly strengthen the aroma, and regardless of how long I brewed, there is no noticeable bitterness.

Brewed as Rishi recommends, however, this tea has an astringent and sour, almost biting aftertaste. I actually liked it a lot, but I'd imagine that some people might not like it. But even so, there is a cleanness to this tea that is acharacteristic of other Japanese green teas: it seems fitting with the clear visual appearance of the cup. Towards the end of the cup, a new aroma develops, a sort of complex, herbaceous quality that I found very pleasing.

I also tried used less leaf (significantly less than the recommended tablespoon, and for a larger cup), and I found that brewing for 3 minutes yielded a mild cup, and I was able to make two infusions. The aroma was pleasant and this cup had a mild but very comforting character to it. However, I missed the herbaceous quality at the end of the cup when I brewed it this way.

Surprisingly interesting and complex for this "coarse" or "common" tea. I honestly find nothing common about it! Yet another impressive Rishi offering! This is not a tea for mainstream American tastes but green tea lovers might enjoy this one a surprising amount. And it's incredibly inexpensive!
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