This vintage comes from tea plants grown from seeds, hence its Japanese name Zairai used by Mikel which means that the tea comes from tea plants grown from seeds and not from cuttings. This green tea from early spring 2024 was produced in Ustaritz in the heart of the Northern Basque Country in the Pyrenean foothills by Mikel Esclamadon who created Ilgora herriko tea in 2020. Herriko means "from the country" in Basque, because for Mikel one of the motivations of its tea project is to offer the Basques local tea, it is also to enrich the agricultural diversity that the Basque Country offers, to prove that it is possible to make a living with 1Ha of land, and to reconcile agriculture and biodiversity. Currently its tea garden includes some 5,500 tea trees.
In the cup, it is a soft, fresh vegetal tea with a floral background of white flowers, surprising for a green tea and giving it a lot of elegance.
In a completely different spirit, I recommend that you try in parallel the Trévarez green tea coming from the same producer, same harvest period and completely different due to the cultivar and the way in which Mikel processed it.
Also discover its manufactured version in black tea: Zairai black tea
Prioritize preparation for gong fu cha leaving 2-3 min during the first pass of water, then extend the time by 1-2 min over the passes.
Harvest date: April 5, 2024
Very limited quantity!
80°C
4 min
all day & afternoon
Producer
Ilgora Herriko Tea
Mikel Esclamadon
Mikel discovered tea growing on a trip to the Azores Islands in 2019. As the local climate was suitable for the plant, he decided to plant his first seedlings in 2020 in the Basque country near the family home. A winning bet! In 2023, he launched his first high-quality tea bags under the Ilgora name which means "rising moon" in Basque language.
