Cultivar and technical information
Benihikari is a black tea cultivar that was developed in Kagoshima from a cross between Benikaori—an Indian-Japanese hybrid—and Makura-Cn1—a variety introduced from China. It was registered in 1969. But while the cultivar was famous for its high-quality, it never spread because Japanese productions were brought to an end by the liberalization of black tea imports to Japan. Since Benihikari, only one other black tea cultivar has been registered—Benifûki. With the revival of Japanese black teas, Benihikari finished by being leveraged in after the decline of Benifûki.
This summer harvest comes from Fuji in Shizuoka.

The nose
In the nose, we find the classic camphor aromas of the Benihikari and dried wood notes.

The mouth
This tea has the character of a classic black tea with rich, elegant tannins. The camphor aromas and fermented grape notes appear once again. The attack is intense and at the end, it is delicate. Nonetheless, be careful to not infuse the tea for too long.

Summary
Here is a robust Japanese black tea where the characteristics of Benihikari are clearly present. The tea is—of course—very good when drunk black, but it is also excellent with milk.

Technical description
Type of tea : black tea
Origin : Horigane, Sayama City, Saitama Prefecture
Cultivar : Benihikari
Harvest : July 8th, 2026