Assistant Supervisor Weblog by Pau [Summer season]

After the spring harvest, we had a little bit of a downtime from in depth fieldwork like harvesting. Quickly after, we switched to farming mode once more to organize for summer time harvest and in addition had the possibility to do some deep minimize trimming in our somada discipline, the place we harvest our kabuse sencha. Normally, tea bushes get a deep minimize trimming each three to 4 years. This helps to reset the peak and form of the bush, in addition to promote a stronger progress within the subsequent interval. This deep trimming is usually carried out proper after spring harvest, it is because it’s such an aggressive minimize into the bush that it takes one entire 12 months for the plant to develop again to the earlier form.

Some tea farmers within the village take a break from tea farming through the summer time and develop different merchandise like rice. Many of the fall areas in Wazuka are utilized by buildings and rice paddy. Leaving the tea bushes to develop on the extra sloppy terrain. In the course of the summer time the rice grows astonishingly quick, first you may see the small bundles of rice within the water, making a mesmerizing mirror-like reflection at sure occasions of the day. Then it turns into taller and brilliant inexperienced, and you may see the seas of inexperienced blades shifting on the tone of the wind. Late summer time it ripens, inflating the rice globules with a milky like liquid that may grow to be the rice grain. They slowly flip yellow and golden like, contrasting with the often inexperienced surroundings across the village. That’s maybe one in every of my favourite view round our workplace, and precisely how the surroundings appeared after I arrived at Obubu final years September.

Throughout Summer time harvest, the main target shifted in direction of black tea manufacturing. Akky-san produces yearly his pine needle wakoucha, one in every of my favorites, on the similar time he produces the summer time solar sencha, a tea that packs a punch by way of texture whereas retaining nice sencha traits. Throughout summer time, we additionally did many harvests that may grow to be tencha, the precursor to our culinary grade matcha. These are good for baking and lattes each at dwelling and in cafés. Yow will discover loads of nice recipes made by our interns on our weblog, the place you may take some inspiration from.

The interns each summer time they get the possibility to provide their very own black tea. Earlier than the precise making we at all times do a small presentation to present some fundamental pointers, however the interns are inspired to experiment and the outcomes are at all times so fascinating to see afterward. In my case, I made a decision to wither the leaves fastidiously through the night by inserting them within the cooling containers we use for inexperienced tea manufacturing. The followers connected to the container may be turned on and off at completely different time intervals, so I used that operate to regulate the airflow.

Then after placing the tea leaves into the twisting machine, the oxidation course of occurs a lot faster, filling the manufacturing facility with a recent inexperienced apple odor. I divided the ten kg of leaves into two 5 kg batches, each went right into a double layer plastic bag the place I did a lightweight vacuum to advertise anaerobic fermentation moderately than oxidization with the air. On batch underwent this course of for 26 hours earlier than being dried within the oven dryer to cease the method and scale back the moisture to round 5%. The opposite batch fermented for 16 days, after I opened the bag I bear in mind it smelling like sweet or some type of berry and flowers. This tea was meant to be aged for two–3 years to let the tea mellow out.