Somen - Summer Noodles-

You may have tried some Japanese noodles such as Ramen, Udon and Soba. Then, have you ever eaten “Somen”? 

Somen are very thin noodles and often served with a light flavored dipping sauce. As Japanese summer is very hot and humid, we often feel like eating something simple. In that case, they are good. Since the taste is very simple, the noodles can go well with anything like meat, veges and egg. So you don't have to worry the lack of nourishment caused by eating only Somen. You can add more nutrition to combat the heat.

Usually, the noodles are white because they are made of wheat flour. But some are colored. The picture shows the one blended with matcha. Somen with hint of Matcha flavor can also improve our appetites.

Matcha flavored Somen (Dried) -T-

My Old Sweet TEA

Regarding tea,  I have been demanding more and more. I knew that. I am excited to try tea made from uncommon or special variety, and produced by a slightly different way or whatever. 

The other day, I had a green tea made in Shimanto, Kochi prefecture. It made from Yabukita, the most popular variety for green, and produced under open-air, which is also traditional way to grow to produce Sencha. In that sense, this is the very standard Sencha. 

The tea wasn't the same one that I used to have, but when I sipped it, it reminded me of my childhood. I don't know why, but  I just remembered the tea made by Mother or Grandmother, which made me feel relaxed. 

I like something special, but I also feel happy to find out the taste that I had been with me.

Shimanto Genryu Cha  -T-

Happy to Sample

It is not easy to convey exactly what you think about “the taste” to others, but at the same time, it is fun to share what you think about it with others. 

Today, I joined a wakocha (Japanese black tea) sampling session to share our thoughts. A tea farmer brought four kinds of his black tea. Together with him, eight other tea-lovers tasted his tea and made a frank comment. As you may know, tea-lovers talk a lot, right?? Some comments might have been harsh on him, but he always says he would like to know frank opinion from consumers in order to improve the quality of tea. 

Like him, more Japanese tea farmers produce black tea earnestly. To be honest, Wakocha wasn't refined enough before, but I am sure more tea has been improved a lot.