Benifuki is a Japanese tea cultivar that is a hybrid of the Assam and Darjeeling strains. These second flush tea leaves are notable for their deep astringency which resembles that of Assam tea. These tea leaves are harvested every year in collaboration with a particular tea garden in Mariko of Shizuoka prefecture and processed using equipment of which only several exist in Japan.

While the quality of tea leaves is important, achieving a balanced astringency and sweet aroma of black tea depends on the four vital steps of “withering, “rolling,” fermentation,” and “drying.” We examine the harvested tea leaves which vary from year to year and fine-tune the duration of each step in the production process. Nabeshimameicha, a shop that specializes in fukamushi tea, takes pride in bringing out the delicious flavor of “Hida Black Tea” in a way no one else can as a means by which we express our intent of opening a new chapter in our history.

Among the four production steps, we pay particular attention to “fermentation.” Harnessing the heat and steam of the hot spring village “Okuhida Onsengo,” the tea leaves are allowed to rest in an environment with a temperature of 30℃ and humidity of above 90%. These conditions kickstart the fermentation process in the tea leaves, which draws out a mellow sweetness and light astringency.