Showa Dream (Lost Cultivar Blend) | 昭和の夢 — 40g
$10.00 – $23.00Price range: $10.00 through $23.00
A forgotten dream, revived — refined, balanced, and beautifully drinkable
We chose this tea not just for its story, but because it genuinely tastes wonderful. Among the distinctive, characterful wakocha in our lineup, Showa Dream stands apart for its harmony — rich, smooth, and flowery with a refined zesty finish. It’s the kind of balanced, well-crafted cup that feels as though it could be served in a traditional tearoom.
This is a tea master’s blend of four rare black tea cultivars — Beni-Homare, Beni-Hikari, Beni-Fuji, and Sayamakaori — all developed during Japan’s Showa era for the global black tea market, and now nearly lost. A skilled crafter, Seicha Kano, obtained leaves from these cultivars that miraculously survived in Shizuoka and revived their flavour.
The producer suggests enjoying it with a delicate Japanese sweet — a lightly flavoured manju, for example. We think that says everything about the character of this tea: gentle, refined, and quietly special.
Tea Profile
Flavour: Flowery, Zesty, Balanced, Smooth
Type: Single Farm / Tea Master’s Blend (Multi-cultivar)
Cultivar: Beni-Homare, Beni-Hikari, Beni-Fuji, Sayamakaori
Origin: Shizuoka
Harvest: 2025
Crafter: Seicha Kano
Brewing Instructinos
Hot Brew
Tea / Water Ratio: 3g / 200ml
Temperature: 212°F (100°C) — boiling
Steeping Time: 2 minutes
Story
A Lost Dream from Japan’s Tea History
In the Showa era (昭和), about 10–20 years after World War II, Japan’s tea industry turned its focus to black tea. The goal was to earn foreign currency by competing in the global market — and the country invested heavily in cultivar research and experimentation. Varieties like Beni-Homare, Beni-Hikari, and Beni-Fuji were developed specifically for this purpose, expected to become Japan’s ace in the international black tea trade.
But the dream was short-lived. As free trade expanded, cheaper black teas from overseas flooded the Japanese market. At the same time, domestic demand for green tea was growing. The export ambition faded, and most of these promising black tea cultivars were uprooted and replaced with Yabukita — the workhorse variety bred for sencha production.
The cultivars that once carried a nation’s hope were nearly erased from history.
Yet a handful survived — preserved by a few producers who quietly maintained their fields. Seicha Kano, a small tea crafter in Shizuoka, sourced leaves from these surviving plants and blended them into a single tea: Showa Dream.
This tea is not a reproduction or a novelty. It’s a genuine revival — crafted with care, bringing back a flavour that was once meant for the world stage.
Showa Dream (Lost Cultivar Blend) | 昭和の夢 — 40g
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