Thanks to my friend Noli from Sugimoto America, I had the chance to try this rare type of Japanese dark tea. He gave me this and other tea samples...
Hakuyoucha: White Leaf Tea
Because of my previous tea review, I became interested in Hakuyoucha (白葉茶, white leaf tea). We’re not talking about a white tea here, it’s an uncommon green tea made...
Sara’s Tea Caddie White Leaf Sencha
This has to be the most exotic sencha that I’ve tried. I had no idea that such a tea existed. Jo Johnson from Scandalous Tea gave this sample to...
Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco
I visited the Japanese Tea Garden last year before heading to the World Tea Expo. It’s the oldest public Japanese garden in the US, and it is located in...
The World’s Special Tea (Book Review)
My friend and fellow tea blogger Jo Johnson of Scandalous Tea gave me this gift. It’s a children’s book about the history of tea, written by her and Joya...
Gold Matcha Premium Matcha
Gold Matcha offers matcha from Nishio, a region in Aichi prefecture famous for its matcha. I’m very thankful because I received the premium matcha, which is the company’s highest...
Podcast 027: Kanes Tea
In this interview I speak with Naomi Komatsu (executive director) and Yusuke Ikegaya (translator) of Kanes Tea. This Japanese tea company is starting to sell its products abroad. It...
The Minekaori Tea Cultivar
There are a few Japanese tea cultivars whose main purpose is to make kamairicha. Minekaori (みねかおり) is one of them. Literally “mountain peak aroma”, Minekaori can be found in...
Ocha & Co Kyoto Uji Matcha
Many thanks to Ocha & Co for sending me their Kyoto Uji Matcha. This matcha comes from the famous region of Uji, in Kyoto prefecture. You can’t ask for...
Podcast 026: Teforia
There’s been a lot of excitement in the tea world regarding the Teforia infuser. I haven’t seen it in action yet, but I managed to land this interview with...
Myoue Shounin: The Beginning of Tea in Uji
Myoue Shounin (Myōe Shōnin, 明恵上人) was a Japanese Buddhist monk that lived from 1173－1232. “Shounin” is a title, which can be translated as “high priest”. Myoue is remembered for...
Kanes Sencha Organic
On my last day at the World Tea Expo 2015 I was well received by Kanes, a Japanese tea company from Shizuoka prefecture. They let me try their premium...