Mieuejima (みえうえじま, 三重上嶋) is named after Mie prefecture, and the last name of its tea breeder. This cultivar has a good resistance towards pests and diseases. History of Mieuejima...
Nio Teas Henta Okumidori Sencha
This sencha comes from Kirishima, Kagoshima prefecture. It’s sold by Nio Teas. I like this cultivar. It’s quite similar in taste to Yabukita, so it can make a classic...
Monaka
Monaka (最中) is a traditional Japanese sweet (wagashi) consisting of a sweet filling sandwiched between two thin wafers. The wafers are often made of rice flour, and they can...
The Houshun Tea Cultivar
Houshun (鳳春), meaning “spring phoenix”, is a cultivar meant for gyokuro production. This early budding cultivar comes from the Uji region. History of Houshun At the Kyoto tea industry...
History of Japanese Porcelain
Porcelain, a white, translucent, and non-porous material, was invented in China more than a thousand years ago. This ceramic is made with kaolin clay, and fired at a high...
Sugimoto Tea Yabukita Kamairicha
Sugimoto Tea offers rare teas for wholesale accounts only, and for a limited time. Luckily, I get samples of those teas every now and then. I tasted a kamairicha...
The Tenmyou Tea Cultivar
Tenmyou (展茗) is a cultivar meant for tencha production. It’s mainly cultivated in the Uji region. History of Tenmyou In 1975 at the Kyoto tea industry experimental site, seeds...
Momoyama
Momoyama (桃山) is a baked wagashi (traditional Japanese sweet) that’s similar to manjū. The difference is that momoyama uses white bean paste (shiroan), not only as a filling but...
Iba Yu Tea Garden Shuntarou Sencha
This sencha comes from Tanegashima, and island of Kagoshima prefecture. I find it interesting because it’s made with the Shuntarou cultivar, which I haven’t tasted before. By the way,...
The Surugawase Tea Cultivar
Surugawase (するがわせ), is an unregistered cultivar named after Suruga province (駿河の国, suruga no kuni), which is today the central part of Shizuoka prefecture. The “wase” part of the name...
The Decline of the Kyūsu
Do you own a kyūsu teapot? I have many, and I like them very much. But the number of households in Japan that have one is falling every year....
How a Chashaku is Made
I’ve often wondered how the chashaku (the tea scoop for matcha) is made. I didn’t have the opportunity to see the process in real life when I was living...