Ichoucha (萎凋茶) is a Japanese tea that has been withered. Withering is called ichou in Japanese. Another word also used for withering tea is bihakkou (微発酵). For example, ichou...
Trails to Oishii Tokyo: Japanese Tea (Documentary)
This is a tea documentary in English from NHK World, made in 2022. Its about 30 minutes long. Besides the basic information about Japanesetea, it has some interesting content....
Ooika Tsuji’s Asahi Shirakawa Uji Matcha
Ooika specializes in single cultivar matcha. They import the tea leaves from Japan and grind them in the US. This matcha from the Asahi cultivar is made in the...
The Shizukaori Cultivar
The Shizukaori (しずかおり) cultivar is named after Shizuoka prefecture, and also because of its superior aroma (kaori in Japanese). This cultivar is meant for sencha production. History of Shizukaori...
Chashitsu ZerO
Many tea ceremony schools in Japan were closed during the pandemic. This led Okochi Sachi from the Senshin-an tea ceremony school to make a small tea room (chashitsu) that...
Maiko Tea Yashiki no Cha Gyokuro
I had the pleasure to try the best gyokuro from Maiko Tea: Yashiki no cha. Mr. Yamashita watches these tea plants daily. Only a few kilograms are made each...
Why I Stopped Doing Public Tea Events
I have a small online tea store in Bogota, Colombia: kyusuteas.com I started the business 10 years ago, with the hope that I could convert many of the locals...
The Yamanoibuki Cultivar
Yamanoibuki (山の息吹) means “mountain breath”. It’s an early budding cultivar meant for sencha production. History of Yamanoibuki In 1975 at present day Kawanehon town in Shizuoka prefecture, specimens were...
A Bowl for a Coin: A Commodity History of Japanese Tea (Book Review)
This book written by William Wayne Farris is about 4 years old. It’s quite recent. While most books about tea include the history of Japanese tea in one way...
I Propagated My First Tea Plant
I have two tea plants in the same pot. They seem to be from the Assamica variety, but the specific cultivar is unknown. After taking care of them for...
I Love the Umami Taste of Green Tea
A tea with much umami taste feels savory, brothy and with more body than usual. I just can’t imagine going several days without drinking a tea that is high...
Nio Teas Gyokuro Kukicha
This is my first tea review of 2023. I chose a kukicha made from gyokuro stems because it’s not a tea that I drink often. This is an organic...