A barrel where the aroma of wood is layered with aromas from the spirits it held. THE CRAFT FARM’s barrel-aged tea rests leaves inside it, letting them slowly take on that aroma.
The barrel’s complex aroma and the leaf’s own sweetness and astringency. As the two characters overlap, a new depth appears in the flavour of the tea.
The people who choose the wood and build the barrels. The people who make the spirits. And the people who make the tea. A cup to savour slowly while thinking about each of their crafts and the time the barrel has lived through.
Two barrels, two aromas
Whisky Barrel-Aged Tea
ウイスキー樽熟成茶
Aromas of wood and fruit, layered with the sweetness of black tea.
White oak barrel × Japanese black tea
We paired white oak barrels once used to age whisky with a Japanese black tea of soft, moist sweetness.
The woody aroma soaked into the barrel, and an aroma reminiscent of ripe fruit. Over time we let the leaves take these on, layering them with the flavour of the black tea.
A richness that spreads with each sip, and the depth of wood. From fruit-like aromas to a sweet, vanilla-like finish. A black tea you will want to sip little by little, as if following its changing aromas.
Sake Barrel-Aged Tea
日本酒樽熟成茶
The freshness of Honyama, layered with cedar and sake.
Yoshino cedar barrel × Abe Honyama Sencha (light-steamed)
The base is Abe Honyama Sencha, made by THE CRAFT FARM in Abe Honyama, Shizuoka. A sencha finished with a light steaming that respects the leaf, for enjoying its fresh aroma, gentle sweetness and umami, and pleasant astringency.
We let this sencha rest slowly in barrels of Yoshino cedar, crafted by artisans. Over time the leaves take on the aroma of cedar and the delicate, fruit-like aroma of the sake soaked into the barrel.
What we value is not letting the barrel’s aroma stand out alone, but harmonising it with the character of Abe Honyama Sencha. The aroma of wood accompanies the freshness of the leaf, and aromas from the sake layer beneath its sweetness and umami.
Tea grown by the land of Honyama, and the handwork of barrel-making and sake brewing. A cup in which we hope you will enjoy those layers, from the first spread on the palate to the finish after the last sip.
Method and craft
From barrel to leaf, moving aroma over time.
What matters in barrel-aged tea is the aroma the barrel itself holds.
The aroma from the wood and the aromas of the spirits layered within it are naturally passed to the leaves inside the barrel. “Ageing” here means the process of moving the barrel’s aroma into the leaves over time.
If the barrel is all you taste, or if the tea’s flavour is hidden, it is not the cup we aim for. We choose leaves that suit each barrel’s character, and value combinations in which aroma and flavour lift each other.
Ways to enjoy it
Following the aroma, enjoying the finish.
First, the tea as it is, with nothing added. Brew it hot, or make it cold. In what vessel, and with what, will you enjoy it?
Sensing the aromas of barrel and leaf, find the way you like best.
A warm cup, starting from the rising aroma.
Take the cup in your hands and first enjoy the aroma slowly. From the flavour on the palate to the finish after you drink, savour it as one continuous pleasure.
Between chapters of a book, or for a pause after a meal. Not a cup to finish in a hurry, but one that makes time to spend with tea.
Made cold, enjoyed in a glass.
Cold-brew it slowly and pour it into a favourite glass. Comparing it with a warm cup to see how aroma and flavour are perceived is another way to enjoy it.
Pour it into a stemmed vessel like a wine glass and set it on the table. A presence a little different from everyday tea can also be a way into the cup.
With food and sweets, pairing aromas.
Try Whisky Barrel-Aged Tea with chocolate or baked sweets. Serve Sake Barrel-Aged Tea with Japanese food or wagashi.
Will the aromas overlap, or will sweetness and astringency lift each other? Even the same tea can reveal different charms depending on what it meets. From your everyday dishes, find the pairings you like.
Comparing the two, meeting each barrel’s character.
The rich layering of white oak barrel and Japanese black tea. The delicate harmony of Yoshino cedar barrel and Abe Honyama Sencha.
Brew a little of each and enjoy the differences in aroma and flavour. Even within “barrel-aged tea”, the expressions born of barrel and leaf differ. Putting those differences into words, it is a time to share with someone, too.
The time the barrel has lived, for the cups ahead.
Beyond the tea, sensing the land where the wood grew and the handwork of the people who make the spirits. Enjoying, this time as a cup of tea, the aromas the barrel has carried.
In the barrels of spirits we have yet to meet, we will keep searching for the possibilities of a new cup.
Please check availability, specifications and prices on our official site or by enquiry.