"I LOVE TEA" by Kit Kat

Kit Kat (Nestle Group) will release its new products, “Kit Kat Chocolatoly ‘I LOVE TEA’” on April 1st. You can enjoy five different flavored Kit Kat; Gyokuro, Hojicha, Genmaicha, Oolong and black tea.

"I LOVE TEA" (I do too!!)
photo by Nestle Group

According to the company, the combination of the abundant tea leaves and the flavorful chocolate creates a miraculous taste. Also you will be impressed by its appearance because you can see the leaves in it. 

Photo by Nestle Group

Matcha Kit Kat is already on the market and selling well. Especially, they are so popular among the tourists from overseas. I believe this new “I LOVE TEA” version will attract many not only tourists but Japanese too.

Photo by Nestle Group

The Longest in the World ! - tea dumplings -

Uji city in Kyoto is known as one of the most famous tea-producing areas. Now Uji is officially recognized “the best in the world”.:-) 

by Kyoto Shingun

On March 6, there was an entertainment to apply for recognition of their record in the Guinness Book there, which is to line up tea-dumplings, known as "cha-dango" as long as possible!

Around 2,000 people joined it and kept lining up the dumplings for three hours. It was shorter than their original plan, but still about 16,000 dumplings, app.342 meters in length, were lined up. Of course, it was recognized by the Guinness Book as the longest in the world! They raised their “tea cups” in a toast and celebrated their achievement.

When you happen to visit Uji, don't miss "cha-dango" with Uji tea!

Appreciate Sakura with Tea - Shizu 7132 -

Sakura is always always special for Japanese. The long-awaited season of 2016 is just around the corner!

Did you know sakura is a feast not only for eye but for palate?

During the season, sakuramochi is seen here and there. It is a Japanese sweet consisting of sweet pink-colored rice cake (mochi) with a red bean paste, and wrapped in a pickled sakura leaf. Yes, you can taste its actual leaf. A must-have sweet during the season, right?

Sakuramochi

Surprisingly, you can also feel the taste of it from a Japanese tea…on one condition. You have to have green tea produced from “shizu7132” cultivar. It’s rich in  a natural fragrant substance, known as “coumarin”, which is also found in many plants including sakura. In other word, both sakura and shizu7132 have the same natural substance.

Unfortunately, the shizu7132 tea cannot be seen everywhere. The cultivar is still rare. When you are lucky enough, enjoy the bouquet of Japanese spring!

Biscuit Day

From what I’ve been told, biscuit in UK and the one in the States are different. Actually, we use both words, but I’m not sure the definition of those.

February 28 is “Biscuit day” in Japan. Biscuit here means the one in the UK and “cookie” in the states. Anyway….I didn’t know that until I went shopping at a supermarket today, ha, ha.

According to the Japan biscuit association, a letter mentioned how to make biscuit was written by Shibata Hoan, a doctor, on February 28, 1855. He was interested in the sweets because they were preserved food, having studied its recipe. This is why the association chose this day.

As I brought it up, we call the sweets as cookie too. But there is no “Cookie day” as far as I researched. Sorry, cookie! Whatever it  is.....speaking of biscuit, I have to have tea, of course!

Special biscuit section at my local supermarket

Black Tea Salt for Ice Cream!?

Matcha-jio, matcha mixed with salt, is sometimes used for tempura, which is food. Some might have tried it already. 

Last weekend, I found Kocha-jio, black tea (powder) mixed with salt at a salt shop. I had never seen it before. What does go well with it? They said…”It’s good with vanilla ice cream.” It was too chilly to try ice cream on that day, but should I try it when it gets warmer??? Well…..

What toppings are you getting for vanilla ice cream?

More salty toppings

Deliver Their "Pride"

A shop in a department store in Osaka regularly deals with a tea master Mr Matsumoto’s six different kinds of tea. His sencha has a soothing aroma and a deep flavor. His hojicha has very refreshing toasty aroma. His wakocha (black tea) has a flowery aroma and complexity. Depending on brewing, the taste nicely changes, which is very interesting too. In addition, since all the tea in his farm is grown without any chemicals, herbicides and fertilizers, the tea is also appreciated as safe amid increasing awareness of food safety and security. 

This weekend, the shop welcomed him to Osaka all the way from Kumamoto (app 700 km away) to promote his tea. 

Mr Matsumoto  -Sakuranoen-

People usually don’t know who grows, where and how tea is produed. During his two-days promotion, people sampled some tea made by the tea maker while enjoying talking with him. As you do so, I believe, knowing the background of the products gives us the feeling of safety. Learning where they are grown and how they are produced arouses our interest. When we come to learn that the maker has the warm and friendly personality, it also gives us more a feeling of trust.

Unlike the conventional style, which tea dealers or companies buy and blend tea according to their own taste, the face-to-face sales style is more often seen these days. Tea farmers are not only tea farmers anymore. They also make a great effort to deliver their own "pride" and more. 

Bottled Tea Satisfies Your Appetite

Japan is a big bottled country. I believe you will never ever be thirsty in Japan. When you buy it, you drink it. In other word, you buy it in order to drink, right? 

But one of the leading companies, SUNTORY Holding Limited., doesn’t say that.They propose to buy to “eat”. A recipe with using their bottled Oolong tea is shown on the back of the bottle.It's for Oolong udon noodles!! 

Actually, its website has more recipes including Oolong pancake, Oolong steamed chicken etc.Now, a bottled tea seems not only to satisfy your thirst but your appetite, ha, ha. 

All pics from Suntory holding Ltd.



In case you are intereted in that....this is the web for the company.
http://www.suntory.co.jp/softdrink/oolongtea/meal/recipe.html