In this episode I interview Michael Hemling, a tea and water sommelier. I didn’t know that there was so much variety in the world of fine water. But the...
Sugimoto Tea Sencha Fujimidori
I received a sample of an organic sencha from the Fujimidori cultivar, courtesy of Sugimoto Tea. This tea is made in Kawane, Shizuoka prefecture. It’s an uncommon cultivar for...
MyTeaPal App
This new tea app is just what I was waiting for. It works as a tea journal, keeps tracks of teas, and it has an integrated timer. Plus, it’s...
The Fujimidori Tea Cultivar
Fujimidori (ふじみどり), meaning “Fuji green”, is an unregistered and one of the lesser grown Japanese tea cultivars. I didn’t find much information about it online. My main reason for...
Miyazaki Sabo Saemidori Oolong
Miyazaki Sabo has been growing tea without fertilizers or pesticides for over 30 years. I haven’t tasted their teas. They seem to be experts at making kamairicha. By the...
The Way of Tea: Reflections on a Life with Tea (Book Review)
This book was written by Aaron Fisher in 2010. He is one of the founders of Global Tea Hut. While most tea books focus on the history, types of...
Tea Towels
The English word “tea towel” is now pretty much a synonym for kitchen towel or dish towel. It is made of linen or cotton. Tea towels were invented in...
Ikkyu Ren
Ikkyu Tea has different types of sencha on their site. This is one of them. As with their other sencha, Ren is a Japanese first name. Tea farmer Shimono...
About the Aroma of Shincha
Shincha, the Japanese tea from the first harvest of the year, has a very fresh aroma. This fragrance that reminds us of spring isn’t found in teas from later...
Top 3 Japanese Tea Importing Countries
Can you guess which countries import the most Japanese tea? You might be surprised with the answer. The most recent data I could find was from 2015, by Japan’s...
Sugimoto Tea Sencha Shizu-7132
After learning about the Shizu-7132 cultivar I’ve been wanting to taste it. Would it really have a cherry blossom aroma? How sweet would it be? The good news is...
Aroma Compounds in Japanese Green Tea
Did you know that there are more than 600 volatile compounds in tea? They are responsible for aroma as well as flavor. It’s not entirely clear how each compound...