teas do not undergo the usual steam treatments. After a short withering, they are fired in hot iron pans of up to 300°C with repeated agitation to prevent charring. The different rolling techniques used produce teas of different leaf form. Kamairicha is processed as a pelleted or flat leaf.
Several southern regions are known for making fine Kamairicha. Sechibaru and Ureshino are two of the most respected for their pan-fried manufacturing process.
Kamairicha is generally not available in the West, however a few specialist tea merchants are making this tea more well known.
This Kamairi process develops sweet, mildly roasted flavors, which are very similar to the pan-fried teas produced in
China today. It is sometimes referred to as ‘
Chinese Green Tea ’ by the Japanese owing to the pan-frying processing of this richly flavored tea.
