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Australia brews new green tea history

Barbara Sweeney

Japanese influence: Will Leckey from Two Rivers Green Tea.
Japanese influence: Will Leckey from Two Rivers Green Tea.Supplied

A traditional Australian farmer steps into a world steeped in tradition - Japanese green tea.

Like every modern-day farmer William Leckey has had to diversify to survive. He still runs cattle and sheep on Heatherly, a 400-hectare property near the junction of the Acheron and Goulburn rivers in northeast Victoria. But in Australia, as a grower of green tea he is truly one of a select few.

In 2001, Leckey planted 12-hectares of Camellia sinensis on the fertile, free-draining river flats of the property. It's the new leaf growth of these plants, now large, robust bushes that undulate in neat, sinuous rows across the paddocks, that's destined for the teapot.

Leckey had been looking for a crop that would suit the soil at Heatherly at the same time that a deputation from Ito-en, a Japanese company that manufactures a range of green tea drinks, visited northeast Victoria in the quest for farmers to grow tea on their behalf.

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"Land use in Japan is completely committed," Leckey explains. "And green tea production had been in decline, so they were forced to look elsewhere."

Northeast Victoria was targeted because it's on the same latitude in the southern hemisphere as Japan's premium green tea growing Shizuoka Prefecture is in the north.

"They like us because we share a similar climate with high rainfall and cold winters," says Leckey. "Plus, Australia has a clean, green reputation."

Leckey admits he was not an obvious contender for the project. He had never travelled to Japan and knew little of its culture and even less about green tea. Now, he's the president of the Australian Green Tea Growers Association.

Leckey grows three different varieties that mature at different times for a longer, staggered harvest.

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Sayamakaori, the earliest to shoot, has distinctive deep green leaves; yabukita, which is the most widely grown in Japan; and okuhikaori, a hardy and attractive plant that is the last to mature.

Flavour is largely a result of when the tea is harvested. "Picking time is crucial," says Leckey. "But also largely predictable." The Kawasaki harvester is revved up when levels of certain amino acids, such as theanine, peak.

The all-important first flush produces the most sought after shincha tea, prized for the nutrients it contains, stored by the plant over winter. Made into tea, it has an intense flavour and a smooth, sweet finish.

The next flush, 45 to 55 days later, produces sencha. The cycle continues and there will be two more sencha harvests as the season progresses.

To make green tea in the Japanese style, the fresh cut leaves are steamed, rolled and dried within 12 hours of being harvested. (By contrast, to make black tea, the same leaves would be torn or crushed before being left to oxidise and later dried, which results in the change in colour.) Leckey's crop is processed by Ito-en at their plant in Wangaratta. "It's an orthodox method and quite old-fashioned," he says. "They've replicated the way they used to make the tea by hand."

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Until recently, most of Leckey's crop went to Japan but with the advent of his own tea label, Two Rivers Green Tea, some of the leaves now return to destined for domestic teapots. "Everybody is interested in farmers and getting food direct from the source," he says. "Australian customers couldn't get any closer than this."

Australian-grown Two Rivers green tea is available online and in selected shops in Victoria, NSW and ACT. See tworiversgreentea.com.au.

Sensory analyst Richard Mason likes William Leckey's Two Rivers green tea because it's a high-quality Australian-grown tea processed in the refined Japanese style. Here are his tips for the perfect cuppa.

1. Use fresh tea. It's not always easy to establish how old a tea is, says Mason, but look for grassy, seaweed and vegative aromas. "If it smells flat or has little aroma there's a good chance it's old," he says.
2. Warm teapot and cups to retain heat.
3. Use the right amount of tea, which is 2-3g per cup. "For a stronger cup, add more tea leaves rather than extend the brewing time," Mason says.
4. Brew at the right temperature for the tea; it varies according to the type of tea. Brew shincha at 60°-70°C and 70°-80°C for sencha.
5. Don't over brew. Brewing time for green tea is only two to three minutes. Pour straight away or remove leaves from pot after this time. "Tea flavours should be complex and sweet, but over brewed tea is harsh and dry." says Mason.
6. Store tea leaves in an airtight container in a cool dark spot to prevent deterioration.

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