Wakocha Event in Nara -Dec4&5-

The annual Japanese black tea event is going to be held this coming weekend (December 4 and 5) in Nara.  

One of the main events is that you can try a lot of Wakocha (Japanese black tea) at the Nara prefectural office. Since about 40 tea farmers will gather at one place from everywhere in Japan, you can taste around 40 different teas if you want while asking about the tea directly to the farmers, which could be very special moment of your stay.

Sightseeing spots including a giant statue of Buddha at the Todaiji temple and the Kofukuji temple are within walking distance. 

If you happen to be around Nara area in Japan, why don't you come over to see what they are like and to enjoy chatting over the cup of Japanese black tea!

web; http://nara-jikocha.net/

My Handmade Black Tea

I joined a workshop to process handmade black tea under Yoshiyuki Takeda, D.Agr.

He brought various cultivar tea leaves including Benihuki, Benihomare, Benifuji, Izumi etc.

After the tea leaves are picked up, the leaves need to be withered (icho in Japanese) so that, mainly, the aroma can come out beautifully. The leaves he brought to the workshop have already been withered.

Next, rolling (junen). We kept rolling and rolling. If we roll them too hard, the finishing tea can be very harsh. But if it’s too soft, it wouldn’t work…..What should I do!????

Then, oxidization (hakko) on a hot plate. It is very homemade-ish, isn’t it? If the time to oxidize is too short, the taste would be very rough. If it is too long, it could have a bit of acid, which is bad. To be honest, I couldn't tell what was the Goldilocks time. I just followed his instruction, ha, ha.

Lastly, drying.(kanso)

And this is the very last, the tasting.(shiin)

We made a cup of tea and sampled the teas we produced. I knew it, but the taste and the aroma clearly differs from the cultivar to the cultivar, and depending on the person who produced, which was very interesting.

BTW, he showed us some interesting samples. The middle one in the photo is the Camellia sinensis var.assamica. Both side are Benifuki cultivar, which is hybrid in Japan. What a Huuuuuuuge difference!!! Everyone can imagine easily that the tea character between Wakocha (Japanese black tea) and the tea like Ceylon and the African can never be the same, right?. They don’t have to be the same, anyway. I believe Wakocha should seek its own character.

 And this is mine made from "Benihomare" cultivar. It looks tea, doesn't it?  This is "my cup of tea":-).

Classical Music-Fed Tea

I'm not well versed in classical music, but the music would give the elegant and graceful essence to my life. What will happen if "tea" listen to the music while growing?

Some green tea called "Mozart Tea" and "Chopin Tea" are on the market. The leaves listen the music everyday during the time from the buds are out till the leaves are plucked. I don't know how the classical music affect the tea's aroma and flavor. 

In any case, they are "well-bred" tea, I guess,,,:-).  I should drink them in a well-mannered way.

Trick or Tea

As you may know, October 31st is Halloween. Even in Japan, its popularity has been getting bigger and bigger. The economic benefits from Halloween are enormous now.

As you may not know, October 31st is the day of Japanese tea. Until recent, I didn’t know that…..Oops!!

 

According to my humble research, October 31st (the New calendar) is considered the day when Eisai, a Japanese Buddhist priest returned to Japan from Sung (the current China) in 1911. It is believed that he brought back some tea seeds and the cultivation method. That’s why the day is set as Japanese tea day.

 

Why don’t the shop take advantage of well-known event??

 

They do…..under the slogan “Trick or Tea!” The day of Japanese tea has nothing to do with Halloween, but I like “treat”, and “tea” too.

by Hitohi

Tea and Coffee -TEAVANA in Japan-

Starbucks Coffee Japan opened its tea brand shop “TEAVANA” on October 3.

Around the world, tea sales reached 125 billion dollars, which is bigger than coffee as of 2015. So the company hopes for a big success in Japan.

Their signature drink for its opening is "yuzu citrus & tea". The tea has a lot of pulp of yuzu citrus, pink grapefruit and white grapes.The company says that it's not only tasty, but pleases the eye, and the customers will enjoy the tea using the five senses.

photo by TEAVANA

Thinking about the trend around the world, it seems to be a bright prospects for TEAVANA in Japan，but it won't be easy. According to ITO EN Co.Ltd, the 2015 beverage sales in Japan is as follows;

   *Coffee: 942 billion yen

   *Black tea: 458 billion yen

   *Green tea: 415 billion yen

Against the world trend, Japan is a coffee giant!

Starbucks have growing rapidly for last 20 years and now ubiquitous in Japan. Comparing tea and coffee may be like "apples and oranges". But.... can its new brand, TEAVANA, let some fresh air into the coffee country??  We’ll see.....I want to see it:-)

*Its Website: http://www.starbucks.co.jp/cafe/teavana/

Past, Present and Future of KYUSE teapot

Have you heard about Kyusu, a Japanese tea pot? Have you make a tea with Kyusu? It used to be a "must" for our daily lives, but not anymore.....

I've found very interesting YouTube site about the past, present and future about Kyusu. Check it out!


< JAPANESE TEA REVIVAL PROJECT>   English subtitle is available: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbXDD-DEwfo&feature=youtu.be

Japanese Tea Rivival Project

Selling Like "Wakocha" in Osaka

A shop of Wakocha, or Japanese black tea, Creha, in Saga prefecture (in Kyushu area) set up its booth at the one-week exhibition at the most popular department store in Osaka.

a peaceful exhibition hall  before their opening time

As far as I know, Osaka is rather "coffee area", not "tea". Osakan are known as very friendly, sometimes “too friendly” (I can say “aggressive”, ha, ha), and call a spade a spade...... Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complain about them because I am also one of Osakan! I was worried that how much they would enjoy Wakocha and  they would buy. But…..no need for such concern at all. The Japanese black tea captivated so many people here, much much more than I expected.

The customers were surprised to know that there are so many black tea produced in Japan. They were impressed to learn that every Wakocha has a different taste depending on its cultivar, tea farmer etc.

selection of wakocha

Although every black tea has its own flavor respectively, compared to conventional tea such as Keemun and Uva etc, Wakocha in general has a rather sensitive aroma and flavor. Thanks to its sensitiveness, the tea can harmonize with any foods and sweets, not clash with. It is versatile!

Wakocha agrees even to those who don’t like its bitterness. Wakocha goes well with Japanese sweets which has very sensitive flavor, and even with a slightly westernized-Japanese food.Of course, some prefer the tea with the stronger character. I like those kind of tea too. But since I’ve became a big supporter of this versatile tea, I’ve enjoyed selecting tea depending on my mood and what I eat with.

The customer enjoyed the marriage wakocha and sweets
@ temporary tearoom

photo by Creha

Japanese tea consumption has been decreasing. Hope more people will enjoy Japanese black tea, and it can be a good chance for them to have an interest in Japanese tea including green.

*Creha Website: http://creha.net/
                                      (Only in Japanese.)