Gogumi -tea blend-

“It is now our concern how we balance between keeping traditional gogumi technique and meeting the demand of the age.

A while ago, a friend of mine who runs a tea shop told me so.

“Gogumi” means tea blend in Japanese.

For many years, gogumi has been one of the key processes to provide good tea with stable price and taste to Japanese people. It takes a while for people to master gogumi skill, and gogumi is one of the traditional techniques. But recently, the single origin tea and specialty tea, whose gogumi process are not required, are getting popular.

To be honest, I prefer single origin tea to gogumi one because I take it more special.

But today, one of my friend who prefer “the usual” said to me; I drink single origin tea or so, but “The usual” makes me relax. It’s a must. 

"The usual" means the tea which is gogumi blended.

It was a casual conversation , but a food for “tea” to me.

You may have known already, but it is about Matcha :-)

Matcha seems to be everywhere now, and maybe you have already known about Matcha enough, but if you are interested in it, why don't you watch this? I just happen to find it.


* Do you know how to make Matcha?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BRp9XpdL5s

by Simpleshow Japan

Savory Afternoon Tea in Kyoto

I went to afternoon tea in Arashiyama in Kyoto.
Unlike traditional English afternoon tea, afternoon tea here was savory one, which was healthier.

First, a box of tea was brought to us for us to select what to drink. We can see the leaves and smell what they are like. I love that presentation.

Since it was hot outside, I had an iced orange flavored Sencha.

This is what I had.

A tiny hand-rolled sushi, a quiche with ricotta, a red wine marinated quail's egg, balsamic vinegared chicken etc. 

noodle and white miso veloute soup. 

sweets from a traditional Japanese confectionery shop "Oimatstu".

While having food, I ordered Darjeeling and another Sencha. Full of tea!!

The restaurant is along a river. This is unusual afternoon tea but I think very Kyoto-ish both food and scene. Food was not buttery and creamy, which were easy to your stomach.

When you happen to be there, it may be a good place to relax.

* Suiran  http://www.suirankyoto.com/en

Hand-Made Black Tea from 90 years old tea tree

I joined a workshop on hand-rolling tea using the leaves of a 90 years-old tea tree.

Many tea at store are produced by cured cultivar tea to equal the quality and character. But tea tree themselves are grown naturally here and there in Japan.

 

The instructor for the workshop is a tea farmer and a friend of mine.

First, we tasted the tea from 90 years-old tea trees leaves made by the farmer.

Of course, hand-picked and hand-rolled tea. Unlike commercializing tea, looks so natural and so pure. Very delicate and gentle. Subtle sweetness spread in my mouth. There is no distinct flavor, but the tea went into body very smoothly. I felt like “Zen” in it.

 

 He brought some leaves he plucked and leave them for two days. This is called withering. This process helps reduce the water content to accelerate the oxidation.

When you roll them strongly, the tea color will be stronger. When you roll them very soft, the tea will have more flavor and aroma. Depending on pressure on tea, the taste will differ.

 

After that, spread the tea thinly and equally as much as possible to make them oxidize.

 

Then stop oxidization with……a hair dryer!!?? Wow!

 

You need to spread them on a flat place for another couple of days to dry them.

 

When ready, make a cuppa! Actually, not bad J

Dust in the Tea!?? NO!!

Have you seen some dust-ish stuff when Sencha is served in Japan?

Actually, this is not “dust” at all. That’s fine soft hair on the back of new buds called “Mouji”.It is a proof of freshness. Which mean the tea is good quality of new tea.

When you find those stuff, you should be lucky to have such a great new tea! 

Enjoy.

Australian Shincha

Recently, Japanese green tea has been diversifying. We see more single origin tea, more varietal tea and more aromatic tea. For the customers, this kind of trend is fun.

I wonder this can be called diversification too, but I found an interesting tea in name-wise; Austrarlia Shincha.

Shincha literally means “new tea”, and is the first flush Japanese sencha and highly valued in Japan. I took shincha granted for “Japanese” tea. So I was surprised to look at it first.

Wait a minute… this is from a Japanese tea giant, ITO EN, LTD. ,and they grow tea both at home and abroad. So is this still considered to be Japanese??? I am not sure since I don't know how and when the tea is processed. But I can see that  this is very eye-catching brand name, and some will buy it thanks to this novelty.

Nowadays, non-Japanese matcha and sencha have seen here and there in the world market. So I guess I shouldn’t be surprised if I see "not-born-and- bread" Japanese shincha one day. 

Genmaicha Sakura Tea

Sakura season has come already! So we see more sakura-related stuff including food and tea here and there.

Tea and food menu items at a Japanese tea room, Osaka Chakai, in Osaka.

Sakura sweets and Sakura Green tea Latte… I found a “Genmaicha Sakura shuffle”. I was curious what that was….Looks like latte, but never had genmaicha latte anyway….

That was cold beverage, which was ground genmaicha mixed with milk with a salted sakura petal on it. When I was going to drink it, I smelled the aroma of genmaicha. I mean I smelled the roast aroma before drinking, which was nice. It was slightly sweetened, and a little saltiness of tiny edible sakura accentuated the tea.

It is supposed to look prettier. Unfortunately, a sakura petal is sinking.....

Matcha latte, hojicha latte are already so popular everywhere. I guess, it is genmaicha turn now.

* Osaka Chakai  https://www.osakachakai.jp/