Layering a new step onto tea: fermentation with koji mould.
From the wisdom of fermentation passed down through Japan’s food culture comes a distinctive aroma and flavour, a little different from tea as we have known it.
The expression of koji fermentation overlaps the leaf’s own character. A complexity hard to put into a single word, and a depth felt more the further you drink.
At THE CRAFT FARM, we explore the types of tea and the types of koji, and how they combine, widening the possibilities of a new cup.
Japan’s fermentation culture, and tea
Koji wisdom, handed down into one cup.
Koji mould has long supported Japan’s food culture, from miso and soy sauce to sake.
It transforms the aroma and flavour of ingredients, creating new expressions over time. We bring that art of fermentation to tea.
Koji wisdom handed down since long ago, and the leaves we work with every day. By linking the two, we explore new aromas and flavours of tea.
Tea and koji, and how they combine
As many possibilities of aroma as there are combinations.
Each tea has its own aroma and flavour. Koji, too, has different characters depending on its type and how fermentation is advanced.
Which leaf, with which koji? How should it ferment, and where should it be finished?
Even with the same tea, when the type of koji or fermentation conditions change, the rising aroma, the impression on the palate and the finish after drinking all change.
From the combination of “type of tea × type of koji”, expressions of flavour not yet known continue to unfold.
Keeping the leaf’s character while drawing out a new expression.
Fermentation does not turn the leaf’s original aroma into something else entirely; it adds a new layer to its character.
To the aroma and astringency of the leaf, and the toastiness of roasting, it adds the distinctive aroma and flavour born of koji fermentation.
The character of the material, and the character of fermentation. Searching for a balance in which both can be felt, we bring them together into one flavour.
Aroma and flavour born of fermentation
With each sip, its expression unfolds.
The appeal of koji-fermented tea lies in a complexity of flavour that no single word can capture.
The aroma you notice first, and the flavour spreading on the palate. The finish that remains after you swallow. Each overlaps, and the impression shifts over time.
Not one strong aroma standing out alone, but many aromas and flavours folded together. A tea whose depth we hope you will savour slowly.
Expression as a powder
As a powder, a latte you will want to call one of a kind.
Grinding koji-fermented tea into a fine powder brings its distinctive aroma and flavour to lattes and desserts.
With milk, the complex flavour of the fermented tea is gently wrapped in the mellowness of milk. Yet the character of tea and fermentation is not lost, and a distinctive finish spreads the further you drink.
A flavour unlike a matcha latte or a hojicha latte. A characterful cup you will want to call one of a kind — possible only with koji-fermented tea.
Ways to enjoy it
Savour it as it is, then layer it with milk and sweetness.
First, the aroma and flavour of the tea itself. Then, the powder layered with milk and desserts.
The complex character of koji-fermented tea shows many expressions depending on how it is enjoyed.
First as it is, the depth of fermentation.
Brew it as a warm tea and first taste it with nothing added.
The aroma rising from the cup, the change on the palate, the finish after you drink. Drinking sip by sip, as if checking each one, reveals the complex expression unique to koji-fermented tea.
Enjoying the difference when it is made cold is another way.
Powder with milk, a characterful latte.
Mix the koji-fermented tea powder well with a little hot water, then combine with warm or cold milk.
A cup where the mellowness of milk meets the complex aroma made by tea and fermentation. Keep it barely sweet to enjoy the fermented tea’s character fully, or add a little honey or brown sugar for a gentler flavour.
Hot or iced, it offers a distinctive finish unlike other tea lattes.
With vanilla ice cream, a dessert of aroma.
Sprinkle a little koji-fermented tea powder over vanilla ice cream.
The complex, deep aroma of fermented tea meets the mellow sweetness of vanilla, giving simple ice cream a new expression.
We also recommend dissolving the powder thickly in a little hot water and pouring it over vanilla ice cream, like an affogato. Warm and cold, gentle bitterness and sweetness — a well-matched combination.
Change strength and pairings to find your own cup.
Change the amount of powder. Change the type of milk. Add sweetness, or leave it as it is.
Small differences change how the aroma rises and how the flavour is perceived.
Enjoying the differences between cow’s milk, soy milk, oat milk and more, find the balance that feels right for you.
For smooth results with the powder.
When using it in lattes or desserts, sift the powder if needed and first blend it into a paste with a little water or hot water, then add milk and other ingredients gradually.
Finely ground tea powder may settle over time. Stir lightly again as you enjoy it.
Each time tea meets koji, a new aroma is born.
The type of leaf, the type of koji, how fermentation is advanced. Through these combinations, the expressions of tea widen further.
The wisdom of fermentation, handed down, for the tea to come.
From a cup savoured as it is to lattes and desserts made with the powder, we will keep delivering new flavours possible only with koji-fermented tea.
Please check availability, specifications and prices on our official site or by enquiry.