Tea tasting: White houjicha (Chanohado / Harano Seicha)

This unusual houjicha (roasted green tea) is produced in Oku-Yame in the southwestern part of Fukuoka prefecture. It is the workmanship of tea master Harano-san and is among the products sold under the company's brand of Chanohado. Why is it called a "white" (shiro) houjicha? As you can see below, the contents are mostly light-coloured. …

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Ramblings on a February night

Once in a while I wonder what am I really doing with this blog. Tonight is one of those moments of.. existential crisis? LOL. I started a tea blog to keep track of and talk about the teas that came into my possession (mostly purchased, with the occasional samples). It branched out to include a …

Tea tasting: Fukamushi Sencha (Wumin’s Clan)

This is one of two fukamushi (deep-steamed) sencha that I have received from Wumin’s Clan. Both are produced by two different farmers. This is by the farmer with the codename ‘ND the Ripper’. I have previously written about their wakoucha houji produced by noodlemasterK and asamushi sencha by 0.01. I really still cannot get over …

Tea tasting: Chungtaejeon (Jangheung Dawon)

Most teas in South Korea are planted in the southern part of the peninsula, especially in Boseong, Hadong, Jeju and Jangheung regions. Korean tea cultivation started from the era of the Later Three Kingdoms, when it was first planted on Mount Jiri in southern Gyeongsang province. That's about nearly 1,200 years of history. Green tea, …

Special Focus on Shizuoka: Let’s enjoy Asahina Gyokuro in Fujieda! (+bonus experience in Shimada)

Asahina was the name of one of those 'disappeared' villages that resulted from city expansions and mergers over the years. It had its beginnings in the Meiji era, although the area itself was populated long before that. However, it became a part of Okabe Town (one of the old Tokaido post towns), following a merger …

Tea tasting: Tadanishiki cultivar black tea (Miyamaen)

The existence of this extremely rare cultivar cannot be explained without talking about the Meiji Restoration and the economic situation in the 1970s. Here I will just put together some already-known historical facts, along with bits and pieces of stuff I found in books and websites, to provide some background before I go into tasting …

Tea tasting: Japan Tea Action sencha sampler pack

Japan Tea Action project is implemented by Tokyo Tea Cooperative, an organisation comprising mostly tea retailers in Tokyo prefecture who are involved in tea promotion and education. This sampler pack came with a recent issue of SALON, the quarterly newsletter of the Nihoncha Instructor Association. It consisted of a selection of five teabags, featuring sencha …