Today I continue my exploration of single cultivar sencha with this Tsuyuhikari tea. It is an organic sencha from Kawane, Shizuoka prefecture. Although this tea isn’t so rare in...
Podcast 047: Professional Japanese Tea Tasting
In this episode I interview Oscar Brekell. He explains how professional tea tasting is done in Japan and why its goal is not the same as that of a...
Drinking Tea from a Wine Glass
I’m not sure if it’s the same all around the world, but in Japan it happens occasionally. I rarely drink it this way, however. This is done with cold...
California Tea House Stone Ground Ceremonial Matcha
I received this sample from California Tea House. It’s the first time that I taste one of their teas. The website doesn’t offer much information about this matcha, such...
The Concept of Balance in the Taste of Japanese Tea
How can you tell if a tea has a balanced taste? It’s not easy to understand if you’re a beginner in Japanese tea, because you might not know what...
About the Steaming Time of Sencha
The steaming process is crucial because it stops the oxidation of the tea leaves. That’s how most Japanese green teas are made. Different lengths of steaming time make notable...
Naoki Matcha Ujitawara Special Blend
This tea is the latest addition to the masters collection of Naoki Matcha. It consists of a blend of cultivars from Uji: Samidori and Ujihikari. A matcha from this...
Bitterness in Green Tea
A common misconception about green tea is that it always has a bitter taste. While green tea contains bitter compounds, it shouldn’t taste very bitter once it’s served. A...
Podcast 046: Tea and Water
In this episode I interview Michael Hemling, a tea and water sommelier. I didn’t know that there was so much variety in the world of fine water. But the...
Sugimoto Tea Sencha Fujimidori
I received a sample of an organic sencha from the Fujimidori cultivar, courtesy of Sugimoto Tea. This tea is made in Kawane, Shizuoka prefecture. It’s an uncommon cultivar for...
MyTeaPal App
This new tea app is just what I was waiting for. It works as a tea journal, keeps tracks of teas, and it has an integrated timer. Plus, it’s...
The Fujimidori Tea Cultivar
Fujimidori (ふじみどり), meaning “Fuji green”, is an unregistered and one of the lesser grown Japanese tea cultivars. I didn’t find much information about it online. My main reason for...