Wabi sabi (侘び寂び) is a Japanese sense of aesthetics that finds beauty in the natural, imperfect, incomplete, and impermanent. It’s not easy to define, even for the Japanese. But...
The Book of Japanese Tea (Book Review)
After reading the first book from Oscar Brekell, I was eager to read his other two books. I managed to get my hands on his latest book, published on...
Tarui Tea Farm Ranryu
This tea has a fancy name: orchid dragon (蘭龍). The name comes from its floral aroma. I received this sample from Ian of Yunomi.life. The tea is made with...
Sen no Rikyu: The Greatest Japanese Tea Master
Sen no Rikyū (千利休), also written as Sen Rikyū, is best known for perfecting the Japanese tea ceremony. Such was his importance, that he served as the tea master...
The Ryoufuu Tea Cultivar
Ryoufuu (りょうふう, 涼風) means “cool breeze”. This cultivar was developed in Shizuoka prefecture for sencha production. The name comes from the fact that it has a refreshing aroma and...
Mizuba Tea Yorokobi Matcha
After the podcast interview with Lauren from Mizuba Tea, she sent me some samples for review. Yorokobi is an organic ceremonial matcha made with the Okumidori and Kanayamidori cultivars....
How to Make Tea for Many People at Once
Sometimes you’ll find yourself having to make tea for more guests that what your teapot allows, or perhaps you need to make a large amount of tea for an...
The Life of Tea (Book Review)
This book is fairly new, it was published on August of 2018. The photography is excellent because one of the authors, Michael Freeman, is a professional photographer. Timothy d’Offay,...
Bizenya Kohaku
I found this tea from Bizenya but I can’t remember who gave it to me in the first place. The good thing is that it’s a very interesting tea....
Japanese Green Tea Refining
After the initial process is complete, aracha (crude tea) needs to be refined. In Japan, the refining process (shiage, 仕上げ) is usually done by the tea wholesalers. This process...
Aracha Processing
Aracha is a crude tea. This tea has gone through an initial process, but is still unrefined. The aracha process varies for each type of tea. For this post,...
Kuma Tea Gardens Saemidori Gyokuro Tenkaichi
Thanks to Yunomi.life, I was able to taste this winning gyokuro from the All Japan Tea Competition 2017. It’s made by Kuma Tea Gardens in the city of Yame,...