Akane あかね
Akane is a Japanese black tea cultivar developed in 1935 from a cross between an Assam introduction and a Kagoshima landrace Zairai at the Kagoshima agricultural research station, and registered in 1953 as one of the original 15 tea cultivars. Named for its bright red liquor color reminiscent of sunset hues, Akane was specifically bred for black tea production in Japan's warmer regions. The cultivar produces high-quality black tea with a bright red color, though it requires careful nursery management.
Lineage
History
The Akane cultivar is a cross from 1935, with Ai21 as a flower component and NKa03 as the pollen component, crossed at the Kagoshima agricultural research station. Ai21 or Assam Nº21 belongs to a series of plants introduced from Assam, India. This series has been used in crossbreeding other cultivars like Hatsumomiji using Ai2 or Benitachiwase using Ai26. On the other hand, NKa03 appears to be a Zairai selected cultivar from the Kagoshima prefecture, although no more details surfaced during our research.
In 1939, Akane was selected from the many offspring of that crossing in the nursery selection trials. From 1942 to 1952, it was subject to tests as a cultivar for black tea production under the strain name Kagoshima Assam cross No.132[3]. In 1953, it was registered as a black tea cultivar under the registry of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry as cultivar No.15[4]. Akane has a bright red liquor when brewed. Its name derives from one of the possible readings in Japanese for Akane. Madder, madder, a type of red dye. Another possible interpretation found written in one of the papers is that its red colour and colour shift on the edge of the cup are reminiscent of a sunset colour.
It is a recommended cultivar for black tea production and was part of the original registration of tea cultivars in 1953. That initial registration included 15 cultivars, of which 5, including Akane, were recommended for black tea. The other registered black tea cultivars and its registration numbers were, Benihomare as No.1[5], Indo as No.12[6], Hatsumomiji as No.13[7] and Benitachiwase as No.14[8].
Characteristics
This cultivar is suitable for black tea production in the warmer regions of Kyushu, Shikoku, Kinki and Tokai. Akane is a medium-sized bush with vigorous growth, high regenerative potential and robust rootstock once it has developed, as its growth during the juvenile period is rather poor. It is a late-rooting cultivar that requires careful management, especially during the nursery period before root development. It has oval, large, dark green waxy leaves with abundant trichomes, and its yield is considered high. The buds are medium-sized, and the hundred bud weight is 60 grams.
It is a medium harvest time cultivar and in terms of harvest quantity and disease resistance, this cultivar was bred and then registered in 1953, so there aren't the usual comparisons to Yabukita, which was registered the same year. Nonetheless, it is reported as a highly resistant to both cold and some diseases. The reported harvest amounts hover between 267 kg for the first harvest and 194 kg for the third. The comparison of cultivars in the original release paper are Hatsumomiji and Benihomare, two other cultivars from the 1953 registration. Akane reported in the study being 8% less productive than Hatsumomiji, but 38% more than Benihomare.
The black tea quality is good due to its high tannin content with low anthocyanin levels. The levels of tannin almost doubled during the second and third harvest, according to the data in the release paper. Compared with Hatsumomiji, as compared in the release paper, it has a black tea fragrance with a strong flavour and a crisp aftertaste, without any harshness and a bright red colour brew, noting its reminiscence of a Chinese black tea.
References
‘Registered Tea Varieties’. Chagyo Kenkyu Hokoku (Tea Research Journal), vol. 1953, no. 2, Oct. 1953, pp. 95–97. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.5979/cha.1953.2_95.
あかね. https://agriknowledge.affrc.go.jp/RN/4010001246.
Last update: 2025 September 7th
Added footnotes, top summary, improved overall text structure, and removed redundancies.