• Tokunoshima is a  volcanic island in Kagoshima prefecture, situated on the southern tip of Japan.  Covered in mountain peaks and rolling hills, the island has a mild, subtropical climate alternating between warm summer and cool winter.  The island's cuisine is one of the healthiest in the world.  

• Cultivation Notes:  
  • Sun Rouge cultivar is the result of an 8-year R&D project by the  Japanese National Institute of Vegetable and Tea Science, a division of the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization  (NARO).
  • Full sun, no shading to optimize level of catechins, especially anthocyanin.
• Processing Notes:  
  • Lightly steamed (Asamushi) to preserve bioactive compounds in the tea leaves.
  • Caffeine:  High 
• Tasting Note:  
  • Liquor steeped into a thick, drab olive green color.
  • Discernable astringent taste with slight bitter edge.  
  • Although Sencha Sun Rouge tastes very differently from other Sencha made from the young leaves of other tea cultivars, its unique taste is very refreshing, especially with the addition of a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime.   

Summary of Research Studies on Asamushi Sencha Sun Rouge:

• Sencha Sun Rouge contains higher levels of catechins commonly found in tea as compared to other green teas.  
• Contains a high level of anthocyanin, a powerful anti-oxidant found in plant materials with deep shade of purple, blue, and red.  The anthocyanin compounds found in Sencha Sun Rouge is water soluble and very stable. The task of anthocyanin’s is predominantly to protect the plants from UV radiation, from insects, bacteria, fungi and free radicals. They are also involved in the regulation of hormones in enzyme activities, and  in gene expression.
• In addition, Sencha Sun Rouge contains a high level of a rare group of catechins, called methylated catechins (methylated catechins EGCG3 “Me and EGCG4” Me) which are not found in other teas.  The unique health benefits of Sencha Sun Rouge are attributed to the synergistic and combined effects of all these types of catechins.

References

• https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jarq/46/4/46_321/_pdf/-char/en ["Sunrouge", a New Tea Cultivar with High Anthocyanin].   
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237011229_'Sunrouge'_a_New_Tea_Cultivar_with_High_Anthocyanin
• https://www.greentea.net/sunrouge-tea/