Tea Blog

Japan and black tea don’t typically go hand in hand—at least not in the way most tea drinkers think about Japanese tea.

When we think of tea from Japan, we usually think of green varieties ranging from everyday staples to premium offerings. Among the most notable are kukicha,

genmaicha Japanese green tea with roasted rice
,
sencha,

gyokuro premium shaded Japanese green tea
,
and matcha, with the last three being especially prized by tea enthusiasts.

So what about Japanese black tea?

As it turns out, small quantities of black tea have been produced in Japan for more than a century, though it has largely remained a niche product.

According to

this historical overview of black tea production in Japan from O-Cha
,
Japanese black tea cultivation began in 1874.

Shortly afterward, the Japanese government sent representatives to India to study established methods of black tea production. Early results were not especially promising, and Japanese black tea was generally viewed as inferior to teas from more traditional regions.

Over time, however, improvements were made, and while Japanese black tea never rivaled green tea in popularity, it developed a small but dedicated following.

If you’re interested in trying it, consider

this rare Shizuoka black tea offering from Den’s Tea in Japan
,
named after the region where it is produced.

Another option is

organic Japanese black tea selections available from Yuuki-Cha
,
which includes several varieties sourced from Japanese farms.

For additional historical context, see

this Tea & Coffee Trade Journal article examining Japanese black tea production and development
.

Don’t miss William’s blog,

Tea Guy Speaks blog featuring commentary on tea culture and rare tea varieties
!

[Editor’s note: Our blog includes many additional articles on tea varieties and global tea culture—use the search feature to explore more.]

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