Okuyutaka (おくゆたか) is a cultivar that makes a good quality sencha. Its name comes from Yutakamidori, and from the fact that it is a late budding cultivar. History of...
Matsue: The World of Wagashi (Documentary)
This documentary aired on February of 2023 in NHK World. Wagashi are traditional Japanese sweets. They are often enjoyed with green tea. Matsue city (松江市), is one of the...
Nio Teas Kasugaen Golden Sencha Yabukita
Today is Father’s Day. As a way to celebrate, I’ll review this organic sencha from Kagoshima prefecture. It’s sold by Nio Teas. The Yabukita cultivar is the most common...
Hachijū Hachiya
If you’re a fan of shincha, you may have heard the term hachijū hachiya (八十八夜). It literally means 88th night. Hachijū hachiya is one of the important dates in...
Podcast 054: Tezumi
While I have reviewed teas from Tezumi before, I didn’t know much about them. In this episode I interview David Lavecchia, who is one of the three co-founders. David...
Naoki Single Origin Mame Matcha
This is a limited edition tea from Naoki Matcha. It’s made from a single tea field in Shizuoka prefecture. While it doesn’t specify the cultivar, this matcha has a...
Brewing Coffee in a Kyusu Teapot
A Japanese friend told me that people are preparing coffee in their kyusu. I never would have thought of doing that. Apparently, the resulting coffee tastes well. This way,...
Kintsuba
Kintsuba (きんつば) is a traditional Japanese sweet (wagashi) that is fairly common, although not as popular as others. In essence, it’s a yōkan with an outer crust. Nowadays, most...
Tezumi Koushun Bihakkocha
This tea sold by Tezumi is a lightly oxidized oolong made with the Koushun cultivar. It comes from the Honyama region of Shizuoka prefecture. Since this cultivar’s strong point...
The Kirari 31 Tea Cultivar
Kirari 31 (きらり３１) is a cultivar that not only makes a high quality sencha, but also kabusecha and gyokuro. Kirari means “momentary flash of light”. The number 31 is...
Sencha vs Kabusecha
Kabusecha means “shaded tea”. This shading process is also employed for teas like gyokuro and matcha. Traditionally, sencha isn’t shaded. Note that after harvesting, sencha, kabusecha and gyokuro are...
Ikkyu Satori
This gyokuro is very interesting because it is a blend of three cultivars: Yabukita, Yamakai, and Gokou. Furthermore, it’s made in Yame using a traditional method. I’m happy to...