Hand-made Osakan Wakocha

This is my hand-made Osakan Wakocha fresh from the oven!!

I made this tea using tea leaves at a tea garden in Osaka castle park. There is no commercial tea gardens in Osaka. So I assume this is the very first born-and-bred Osakan black tea...only 6 grams though.

I did outdoor withering first because it was nicely cloudy. Then indoor withering until moisture in the leaves are reduced to about 60%. 

Roll and leave them for oxidation. 

Finally, put them into oven to stop oxidation and dry. 

This is the first time to make black tea using autumnal leaves, which are harder to roll than expected. It could have been better, but tea making is always fun and relaxing.

A tiny tea garden in Osaka castle park

At tiny tea garden in Osaka castle park.

I joined a group who takes care of tea trees named Camellia Sinensis for the first time in a while. 

The trees seem to grow healthily at first glance, but so many flowers and so many tea fruits on the trees....which is not a good sign. It shows the tree is weak and trying to leave offspring before going to die. 

Even so, they look much healthier before now. Hope pruning will help the new buds come out beautifully next spring.

These tea trees are planted as ornamental plants in the park, not for processing. However, tea is tea. I’ve brought some leaves back to home to experiment hand-made Osakan autumnal black tea. 

Asamiya Green Tea

Asamiya in Shiga prefecture is one of the greatest tea producing areas, but it's not that widely known since the tea had been blended in Uji and sold as "Uji-cha".  These days, Asamiya tea is often seen as "Asamiya cha" too.

This Asamiya-cha is Kabusecha made from okumidori cultivar

Beautifully vivid green leaves.  It has a pleasant umami-savoury taste with a thick and round texture and a lingering finish.  Good with "abekawa-mochi", rice dumpling sprinkled with roasted soybean powder.

 

*My Instagram  :  https://www.instagram.com/tomokoh22/

Yame Black Tea

Wakocha (Japanese black tea) made by Kurihara family in Yame, Fukuoka together with a cute calico cat-shaped bread.

Yame is well-known tea producing area, especially Gyokuro. They produce not only black tea but Gyokuro, Sencha, Kabusecha, Genmaicha, Kukicha, Hojicha and Bancha. They are known as a reliable tea producer, having received various kinds of awards. I haven't visited their tea garden yet, but it is one of the tea farms I would love to visit when things get ready.

* Kurihara Seichaen https://www.e-yamecha.com/

*My Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/tomokoh22/

Marishi Cultivar's Tea Flight

Comparative tea tasting is always fun.Especially, it is always interesting to have tea made from a rare cultivar. I had 5 different teas made from the same rare cultivar called "marishi".

All of the tea are made from the same cultivar, but the characters are different respectively depending on how/where they are grown, how/when they are picked, how they are processed etc. 

The one (from Shizuoka) that has a "Goldilocks" umami and thickness with a slight melony aftertaste is my favorite.

*My Instagram   https://www.instagram.com/tomokoh22/

Uji Matcha vs Nishio Matcha Sweets

Matcha is "originally" a drink. Recently, it is more to eat.....What I've found is special versions of longtime bestseller sweets. 

Here is Uji matcha-flavoured mushroom-shaped sweets.

The other one is Nishio matcha-flavoured bamboo shaped one 🤣

Uji one is thicker, while Nishio one is milder. I was thinking to have those with a bowl of matcha, but it can be too much. I picked up Sencha. :-)

Anyway, whether you like it or not, matcha is everywhere now....as sweets.

     * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomokoh22/

Matcha, Anko and Ice cream Toast

It's been extremely hot! This heat is at a dangerous level seriously....

I visited a tea room to seek to cool off. Matcha toast topped with anko, red bean paste. Also some vanilla ice cream is under the anko, which helps get through the heat. 

Together with green tea latte. 

The cafe has a wide variety of pottery made by artists, and food and drink are served with those special pottery.

This tea room attracted so many tourists from overseas. Hope the time when people at home and abroad gather to enjoy tea and pottery will come again.


*My Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/tomokoh22/