Since most Japanese tea is harvested by machine, obtaining one picked by hand isn’t easy. I’m very eager to taste this asamushi (light steamed) sencha from the Honyama region...
The Nanmei Tea Cultivar
Nanmei (なんめい, 南茗) can be translated as “south tea”. It was named this way because it is an early budding cultivar that is suitable for the southern regions of...
Paper Kyusu
A friend told me about a paper teapot in Japan that you can mail as a gift: Kami no kyusu. You choose the type of tea to send with...
Okaki and Arare
Okaki (おかき) and arare (あられ) are rice crackers made of glutinous rice (mochi rice). Nowadays, the only difference between them is their size. Okaki is bigger than arare. But...
Sencha is my Favorite Tea
If I could only drink one tea for the rest of my life, I would choose sencha. Of course, I like to drink teas from other countries besides Japan....
Cyber Chakai
On January of this year, an event called Cyber Chakai (サイバー茶会) was held in Japan. It is sort of a tea ceremony but with the use of a projecting...
The Sawamizuka Tea Cultivar
Sawamizuka (さわみずか) is a late budding cultivar with high yield. Its name comes from an alternate reading for the Chinese characters of the region where it was cultivated: Sabaka...
Senbei
Senbei (煎餅) is a Japanese rice cracker that often has a flat and round shape. This confectionery pairs well with green tea. Although the origin of the word is...
Tales of The Tea Trade (Book Review)
This book was published a few years ago by Michelle and Rob Comins. They own Comins Tea, a tea house in the UK. The first chapters introduce the authors,...
Podcast 050: Matcha Kanaya
I was contacted by a new online tea store: Matcha Kanaya. Osami Ogai and the owner Tsutomu Sugiyama tell us about Shimada city in Shizuoka prefecture, their matcha, and...
The Asahi Tea Cultivar
Asahi (あさひ), which means morning sun, is a tea cultivar from Kyoto prefecture. It is especially suitable for tencha production. Other cultivars from Kyoto that are commonly used for...
Sugimoto Tea Benifuuki Sencha
This tea is an asamushi (light steamed) sencha from Kagoshima prefecture. It’s also organic, and from the first harvest of 2021. Many thanks to Sugimoto Tea for giving me...