Hi, I’m Ricardo. I’ve always been drawn to Japanese culture, for some reason I can’t explain.
I have studied the Japanese language until achieving a reasonably high level of proficiency (passed N1 level in the JLPT) and even lived there for some time.
Why I started this website
I was born in Colombia but oddly enough I never liked coffee. I think it smells nice, but that’s about it. Too much caffeine makes me anxious.
While at Japan, I had my first exposure to green tea. Its everywhere you go, you can’t miss green tea in Japan, a lot of restaurants will even serve it for free. I liked it immediately, began to learn all about it, and now I drink it daily.
I’m the first Colombian to obtain the certification of Japanese Tea Advisor by the Nihoncha Instructor Association.
My mission
In Asia, for a very long time green tea has been number 1, unlike the West where black tea is more popular. However, the situation is slowly changing. There is a tea renaissance happening outside Asia, each day new tea enthusiasts join the cause.
I want to fulfill my part by writing about Japanese green teas. I believe that one day, words like sencha and matcha will be as common as espresso and cappuccino.
I’ve also opened an online tea store in Colombia: Kyusu Teas.
If you live in the US, you can book an online tea tasting with me.
Wishing you the best,
Ricardo Caicedo
Achievements
- Panelist for the Tea Blogger Round Table at World Tea Expo 2016
- Member of the World Green Tea Association
- Invited by JETRO for the Uji Press Tour 2016
- Speaker at the Uji Tea Simposium 2016
- Listed in Whittard Top 10 Tea Blogs
- Tea advisor certification from the Nihoncha Instructor Association
- I wrote an article for the Ryokucha Tsuushin, a tea magazine in Japan
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