This is a video with some handy advise on how to choose or rather what to avoid when buying sencha. It points out important features of packaging that are essential for your tea to stay fresh and be properly storaged. Do not be fooled by teas that pretend to be real or Japanese!
This month the following teas were reviewed in the Tea Colleciton
Tea came to Japan from China for the first time during the 6th century and initially it was imported in brick-form for aristocrats and the clergy. Tea was considered a luxury item in Japan at that time as exports from China were scarce. According to ancient recordings the first tea seeds were brought to Japan around the 9th century by Buddhist monks known as Saicho and Kukai who travelled and studied in China. From this moment on tea cultivation in Japan started developing and tea was gradually becoming more and more popular.
In 1191 Eisai (also known as Yosai), a Zen Buddhism priest, has brought tea seeds to Kyoto and given them to the priest Myoe Shonin to plant near a temple located there. Eisai is the author of the oldest tea book in Japanese, Kissa Yoyoki (Drinking Tea for Health), in which he proclaims tea to be a ‘divine remedy and a supreme gift of heaven’. He taught people how to grind leaves into powder to produce a better tasting beverage and successfully introduced tea to the samurai class. Prior to that tea was mainly used as a stimulant to keep monks awake during meditation, but now it has found appeal among common people.
During the 13th and 14th century tea has become an art form and a vital element of passing time for people. As a result of the interest surrounding tea it became the subject of a game called Tocha, which originated during Sung Dynasty in China. People gathered to test their ability to distinguish between tea types and their origins. The game involved trying different kinds of tea and guessing where the tea come from – correct guesses were rewarded with prizes. The game was banned at the end of Japan’s Civil War, but later transformed into what we know as Chanoyu – the Japanese Tea Ceremony. At this time the tea steaming technique known to the Japanese since the 9th century was replaced by a roasting technique introduced by China.
In the 15th century tea became a significant part of culture in Japan and it has a solid place in history as one of the country’s symbols since. At this point Japan took a different path from China towards developing their own ‘tea ways‘. In the spirit of simplicity and beauty of everyday things (then valued aesthetics) a tea ceremony started taking shape, thanks to the influential figure of a tea scholar, Sen Rikyu. By the end of 16th century the ‘Way of Tea’ (Chanoyu) was established and its tradition was carried on into modern day. Chanoyu celebrates the beauty of every day objects, imperfection, asymmetry and naturalism. Along with the ceremony there was a need for a special kind of architecture that would suit its style, and so the building of tea houses originated.
In 1740 a new way of processing was developed by Soen Nagatani, which replaced the Chinese roasting method. It involved steam-drying tea leaves and unlike then available Matcha (ground tea) and Houjicha (roasted tea) it produced in a whole new type of tea. This method also referred to as the Uji method resulted in the creation of Sencha and most other teas now characteristic to Japan.
Due to the demand, tea couldn’t be produced only by hand in small quantities and during the 18th and 19th century machines were developed to boost the production process. The machines took over the tasks of drying, rolling and steaming tea leaves. With today’s automation and computerized machines tea quality can be retained at a high level.
I found these Green Tea Flavored Crispy Rolls from Thailand in one of Stockholm’s asian markets and of course I was tempted to try. Having a generally bad experience with tea flavored products, I prepared for the worst.
These rolls have a vibrant yellow-green color and they are indeed crispy. When it comes to flavor they are very very milky, most likely due to the 50% coconut milk content and the taste is comparable to drinking a sweet matcha latte. Except for the coconut milk, crispy rolls also contain 20% tapioca flour, 15% brown sugar, 9% green tea plus egg and salt – all the good stuff.
By the 5th roll into my exciting venture I started becoming more comfortable with the new, unfamiliar taste and I can say that right then they were not bad at all. Unfortunately, every time I got back to them after a break, they were strange to me anew. To be completely honest, I don’t think I’d buy these again, and stick to the good old green tea chewy candies.
Here is a video of how to make matcha ice cream. Just follow the instructions given by a dog and you’ll be on your way to creating a new, unique type of dessert. Watching this really makes me feel awkward, at the same time it’s kind of funny, but in the end nothing coming from Japan can surprise me anymore.
Matcha is a very popular tea from Japan, used during the Japanese Tea Ceremony, but also for casual drinking. This tea is a vivid green powder made from ground tea leaves of tencha tea. Tencha is a shaded tea – meaning it was covered from the sun during a period of time in its growth, resulting in a deeper shade of green and a greater production of amino acids that gives the tea a sweeter flavor. The leaves are laid out flat to dry and then ground, creating a green powder known as matcha. However if the shaded leaves are rolled after harvest they are known as gyokuro tea.
Matcha is made of young leaves – primarly delicate buds, but it comes in different grades and some matchas can be very expensive, while others quite affordable. Generally matcha is classified into two main categories – usucha and koicha.
Usucha
Usucha is also known as ‘thin’ tea, because it is more bitter and during the tea ceremony more water is used to prepare it. This does not mean that it’s milder, in fact, Usucha usually has a stronger flavor then Koicha. This matcha is made of tea leaves from plants that are 30 years old of less and it’s a more common variety.
Koicha
Koicha is also known as ‘thick’ tea, because it’s flavor is much sweeter then usucha’s and less water is used for brewing. You also use more powder to make a bowl of this matcha. The leaves used for koicha come from tea trees that are 30 years or older. Koicha is the finer variety, therefore also more expensive.
Genmai Mtahca, in other words powdered Genmaicha with Matcha in a shaker bottle is an invention of Shizuoka Tea. The content of the powder is graound sencha leaves, roasted rice and matcha and it can be used to prepare hot and cold drinks, but also for baking, as a topping or desert ingredient. This could be revolutionary for true Genmaicha fanatics, as it will add that ‘popcorn tea’ feel to anything you will used it for. The shaker holds 30 grams (1.1 ounces) of powder, which yields in approx. 30 100ml servings.
This month the following teas were reviewed in the Tea Colleciton
This, apparently not tasting anything like beer nor tea beverage, is a strange combination of two flavors – namely beer and green tea. The theoretically non-alcoholic (less then 0,5% alcohol content) soda produced by Speed Delivery Co. Ltd, is widely sold in Taiwan, where you can have with for example, your takeaway. Testimonials – disgusting! smells of chemicals! just awful! Makes you wonder…
The Teatropolitan Times 