Bred for black tea. Made as green tea instead, it keeps a distinctive astringency — and a compound profile unlike the others.
Where it came from
Benihomare × Makura Cd86, registered in 1993 for black and semi-oxidized tea.
Character
Although bred for black tea, processing it unoxidized as green tea leaves methylated catechins in the leaf, which is what drew attention to it. It tastes markedly astringent and is best approached as its own thing rather than as sencha.
What it suits
Green tea, and Japanese-grown black tea. The astringency divides people.