During the Tokugawa shogunate in the Edo period, a special tea procession was created. Tea leaves harvested in the spring were brought to the shogun every year. Nowadays, a...
Sugimoto Tea Organic Sencha Harumidori
Spring has begun. What a better way to celebrate it than by tasting a sencha from the Harumidori (spring green) cultivar. I received this interesting sample from Sugimoto Tea....
My Morning Tea Routine
Since last year, most of my tea drinking has happened at the office. This is where I spend most of my time. In this post, I’ll describe my morning...
Sakura Mochi
Sakura mochi (桜餅) is a wagashi (Japanese traditional sweet) that’s usually wrapped in a cherry blossom leaf. Basically, it’s a pink colored rice-based dessert with a sweet bean filling....
The Miyamakaori Tea Cultivar
Miyamakaori (みやまかおり) is a late budding cultivar used for sencha production. Its name means “deep mountain aroma”, 深山香. History of Miyamakaori In 1983 at the tea industry branch of...
Kagoshima Tea Organic Tencha
I haven’t tried a tencha in a long time. It’s an uncommon tea, because most of the tencha is ground to obtain matcha. This one is organic, and sold...
Obsidian Bowl
This is a product from a Kickstarter campaign by Sanko Matcha Products. It’s a matcha bowl that has been specifically designed to improve whisking. They call it “one-dimensional matcha...
Swapping Tea with Friends
Did you buy a tea that you just don’t enjoy as much? Or perhaps you bought too much of a single tea and now you worry that you’ll get...
Podcast 055: Tea Vendor
I’ve known Salvador Sosa for many years. We finally managed to record this podcast, where we talk about Tea Vendor. Perhaps you know this tea company by its previous...
Crystals on Tea Leaves
Some days ago a Japanese friend send me a picture. It looked like crystals that had grown on top of some of the tea leaves. She told me that...
Houjicha Syrup
I’ve made matcha syrup before, but I had never seen a houjicha syrup until recently. I stumbled upon a Japanese video about it and decided to try it myself....
The Harunonagori Tea Cultivar
Harunonagori (はるのなごり) is a late budding cultivar that can be used for sencha and oolong production. The name can be literally translated as the sorrow of the passing of...