I grudge cedars

There is a tea tasting contest this Saturday, actually tomorrow.  I’ve got some tea samples and have been tasting them almost every other day in preparation for the contest. 

In one of the contest’s category, you actually drink five sencha and tell their production regions.  My tasting skill is improving through practice.  And now, I can even tell two of them just by smelling the aroma before sipping.  The other three are quite difficult.

Easy (distinctive) two

Honyama (Shizuoka):  aroma that is reminiscent of chestnuts

Yamato (Nara): aroma like flower

Difficult three

Tenryu (Shizuoka): roasted flavor

Fujinomiya (Shizuoka): bitterness of green

Yamae (Fukuoka): roasted flavor with a blend of sweetness,  My favorite!

Note: These reviews of tea are just my personal criteria to distinguish the samples, and do not in any way represent the standard taste of each region. 

This week, a nightmare occurred!   I got a runny nose that never stops(＞_＜)  Tissues are overflowing from my trash bin.  I’m now suffering from hay fever!   I wanted to practice more for the three difficult ones.  But now, not only can I not practice but moreover I cannot even tell the easy two, neither.  Oh, my。・゜・(ノД`)・゜・。 So, I had to give up on participating in the contest.  I’m so disappointed.

Someone told me the pollen of this season is from cedars.  Damn, cedar!  But at least, I had the chance to practice and improved my skills ... so let it be.

Tea shop that I appreciate

Where do you usually get your tea?  I appreciate tea shops with some factors, such as knowledgeable staff, sample leaves and tasting.  There are not many shops that offer tasting.

I went to a local tea shop, Marumoto for the first time.  It is located in a traditional mall in my town.

I found another factor that I appreciate there.  Do you see many tea boxes on the shelves?  They sell tea by measure!  Usually, tea is pre-packed and you have to buy the same tea in certain amounts, something like 100 or 200g.  I want to try many different types of teas.  So, it will be very much appreciated if I can buy them in small amounts.  What the factors do you count on for your tea shop?

The essentials: 6. Have umbrellas ready even if it is not raining

The ancient tea master, Rikyu once said “Have umbrellas ready even if it is not raining”.  This is one of the seven essentials of The Way of Tea, which I introduced on the previous entry.

“Have umbrellas ready even if it is not raining” seems like a vain effort.  In modern times, everybody thinks being rational is good.  Isn’t this lesson rational? 

Way back in Rikyu’s days, it must have been difficult to predict the weather.  The goal of every ceremony is to make your guests happy.  So, it’s a good idea to prepare umbrellas for your guests in case of sudden rain.   To lead thing to success, foreseeing emergency situations are necessary.  Not considering about such kinds of situation is irrational.

My interpretation of Rikyu’s “Have umbrellas ready even if it is not raining” is that
preparing for any contingency is important.

Related entries

The essentials of The Way of Tea

1. Prepare the tea just right

2. Place the charcoal appropriately to boil the water

3. Arrange the flowers as if they were in the fields

4. Make it seem warm in winter, and cool in summer

5. Do things ahead of time

6. Have umbrellas ready even if it is not raining

7. Care about the guests

Smiley hojicha latte

I am into hojicha latte since I introduced the recipes on this blog and I have been trying some other conditions.  I would like to share an improved recipe that I discovered.   Most recipes are good with sugar, but this combination has a well balanced flavor of tea and milk even it is not sweetened.   It will make you smile (^-^)

Ingredients

Hojicha leaves: 3g

Hot water: 40ml/1.4oz

Hot milk: 120ml/4.2oz

Sugar: optional

Items

Ippukuwan (big tea cup)

Tea whisk

Small teapot

Procedure

1.    Whisk the hot milk (120ml/4.2oz) in the ippukuwan until it gets foamy

2.    Brew the hojicha for 30sec

Put tea leaves (3g) into the teapot and add boiling water (50ml/1.4oz)

Steep it for 30sec

3.    Pour the brewed hojicha into the ippukuwan

I drew a smiley face as I poured the tea.

Smile!

Note

If you want to sweeten, you could brew it longer like 45sec for richer flavor.

You need to rinse well the teawhisk immediately to prevent molding and to avoided smell.

My hojicha-latte recipe

Once I have tried hojicha-latte at Starbucks.  Hojicha is roasted green tea.  I pretty liked the new tea beverage with the roasted flavor.  It was milder than cafe latte and more like English tea with milk.

I wanted to have it at home.  So, I tried preparing it in three different conditions to find out a good recipe on my own.

	A	B	C
Method	Brew tea with boiling water first.  Then add milk into the brewed tea in a cup.		Brew tea with only hot milk, not water
Tea leaves	2g	4g	3g
Boiled water	50ml / 1.7oz		-
Hot milk	50ml / 1.7oz		100ml / 3.5oz
Brewing time	60sec	30sec	60sec
	This is pretty similar with “B, but slightly milder.	This is close to the one at the Starbucks.	This is rich with the milky flavor.

You can double the amount of the ingredients if you want it plenty.

You can add sugar if you want.

It was two years ago, so I don’t exactly remember the taste of Starbucks hojicha latte.  But, I guess “A” and “B” are similar to it.  However, I liked the “C” most among the three.  “C” has the richest flavor with milky taste.

Hojicha latte is not bitter so I think it can be enjoyed by people who don’t like the bitterness of green tea. 

Note

I don’t have a milk-foam maker, so I whisked hot milk with a bamboo teawhisk.  You need to rinse well the teawhisk immediately to prevent molding and to avoided smell.

I don’t recommend using milk in your Japanese teapot.  Especially, non-glazed teapots (such as yakishime or red clay) can absorb smells.  Also, milk contains fat and I’m not sure what effect of the fat to those teapots.  I used a porcelain bowl and mesh basket to brew the tea with milk.

Wabi, exquisite beauty in simplicity

Not many Japanese can explain what exactly “wabi” is.  If you look it up in a dictionary, it says something like the following.

Wabi is the exquisite beauty, discovered and appreciated in simplicity and calmness.

Many people know of “wabi-sabi” or “wabi”, and know a general meaning.  But once it comes to explaining the essential idea, most of them will have a hard time.

I found an interesting idea about “wabi” in a book, “利休に帰れ(Return to Rikyu)” written by a monk from a famous temple in Kyoto.

Wabi is to appreciate and limit things at the same time.  For example, people have to kill other lives to live.  You might have to kill ten cows, but you try to bear with eight.  You save two.  You make the eight work like ten.  That is the idea of wabi.  You don’t need more than what you need.

Expensive items imported from China were highly valued at the beginning of the tea history.  Such as bronze vases, celadon tea bowls or ivory tea scoops.  Wabi sprit made people think simple wares will be fine for The Way of Tea.  Rustic tea bowls and *bamboo vase and teascoop become appreciated in Wabi Tea.  The tea room is simple and it doesn’t have any unnecessary stuff inside.  That’s why a simple flower displayed in a tea room can be so brilliant.  People find the exquisite beauty in eliminating unnecessary details.

*Bamboo was a reasonable material and you could get it anywhere.

Modern life is surrounded by so many things.  Why don’t you enjoy your tea with only what you need.   You might find peace and beauty there.

Reason for fake charcoal

The other day, I went to the citizens’ tea ceremony held at the cultural center in my town, Seto.  It is casual and pretty much reasonable so anybody can attend.  What interesting about the cultural center is that there is a nice classic tea room inside a concrete building.  While inside the traditional tea room, you will forget that you are in the modern building. 

When I attended the ceremony last year, I was disappointed that the heath used was not real charcoal.  A charcoal-imitation electric stove was used.  This year again, it was not real charcoal in the heath.  But this time, I found out the reason behind it.  The host told me that there is a regulation for using fire inside the building.  I don’t know if it is for public building or concrete architecture, anyhow they had to use electric stove.  Nevertheless, I still appreciate the nice tea room and the opportunity for casual tea ceremony.

Can you see the heath underneath?  It has some false charcoal figure with red hot wire. This is not exactly the one used in the ceremony, but something like this.

Tea cups for Japanese tea enthusiasts

What particular criterion do you have for your tea cups?   It could be its usability, color, size, material or production region. 

I made three cups for my shop with my own design; sencha cup (65ml/2.3oz), small sencha cup (30ml/1.1oz) and gyokuro cup (15ml/0.5oz).  Their overall designs are extremely simple, but I was meticulous on some details, such as the bisque finish (non-glazed finish) and the engraved mark at the bottom.  Among them, the greatest feature that I stick with was the slimness.   I made the rim so thin that you can even see through the silhouette of your fingers when placing it on bright background.

This slenderness creates a very refined look and atmosphere, which full-bodied daily cups can never have.  This is why these cups are for tea enthusiasts.  Imagine having your fine tea in a slime-wall cup, you will have a totally different impression from the tea setting.  The fine tea will look much classier for your private time or tea with your guests.  I didn’t want to make just an ordinary cup, and the thinness was my answer.

So, what is your preference on your cups?

Here are the three cups that I designed.  They are available for sale on our shop.  You can jump to our shop by clicking the picture of each product.

Wabi-Iki thin sencha cup (65ml/2.3oz)

Wabi-Iki thin small sencha cup (30ml/1.1oz)

Wabi-Iki thin gyokuro cup (15ml/0.5oz)

13 types of Japanese tea

How many types of Japanese tea have you tried?  Sencha, Gyokuro, Matcha …

When I studied to become a Japanese Tea Adviser, I learned that there are 13 major types.  They are all made of tea plants.  Have you ever seen them all?  I actually collected all of them and photographed them in both leaf and brewed form.  Wanna see them? 

I created a Facebook page (FB) for my tea ware shop, “Everyone’s Tea”.  I would like to provide basic Japanese tea information for beginners at “Japanese Tea 101” on FB.  I also want people to share their delights in tea on our FB. 

Please post your memorable photos regarding Japanese tea.  I’d be happy to have our FB filled with pleasurable photos from all over the world!

I want to fascinate lives overseas with Japanese tea.  Would you help me get other people know our FB by clicking the “like” button?  Thanks!

If you want to see the photos and descriptions of the 13 types of tea, please visit Japanese Tea 101 and take a look at the page “Types of Japanese Tea”


Jump from here >>> Japanese Tea 101

I might be going to hate tea

12 tea samples arrived the other day!  I’m going to participate in a tea tasting contest next month.  So, I bought tea samples for the contest.

I immediately tried them for practice.  These are seven sencha with different breeds.  I can spot some differences, but it is pretty difficult to tell which one is which for the first try (^^;;  As I was repeatedly trying each of them; one here, one there, the teas were getting stronger and stronger.  That makes things more difficult.  What I tasted was nothing but bitterness.  My mouth was filled with bitterness.  Yuck!  I almost hated tea, hahaha.  I need more practice to tell quickly before they get so bitter.

My favorite breed among the seven was Sayamakaori.  But, based on my memo from past tea tasting, it seemed to me that Sayamakaori was strong and I didn’t like it.  The taste seem to differ according to region and production.  

I will definitely keep on practicing before the contest.  And for sure, I will be loving tea more than I do now.

The essentials: 5. Do things ahead of time

The ancient tea master, Rikyu once said “Do things ahead of time”.  This is one of the seven essentials of The Way of Tea, which I introduced on the previous entry.

If there is a party, what time would you like to get there?  Would you be there earlier than it starts, just on time, or after it started?  I guess that this custom may vary in different countries.  In Japan, people get together on time or slightly earlier than it starts.  Maybe because, it is often said that it is better to do things 5 minutes ahead.    I assume that this kind of practice is somehow related with Rikyu’s “Do things ahead of time”.

What is the essential idea behind “Do things ahead of time” in tea serving?  I have almost the same understanding as common opinions.  Leeway of time will make a leeway on your mind.  A relaxed mind allows you to treat your guests with composure.  Eventually, it helps for serving good tea. 

My interpretation of Rikyu’s “Do things ahead of time” is that
leeway on your mind is important.

As I was writing this entry, I remembered my own experience when I was a student.  One day, on my way home, I saw a familiar businessman parking his car on a street one block away from my house.  I asked my mother what he was doing there.  She said that he was probably waiting to adjust the time for our appointment.  Before this incident, I thought that being early is always good but I realized afterwards that it may not be appreciated at times.  The host may not be ready at the time and you might make him/her rush.  I was impressed with how professional the businessman was.  Not only because of the time consideration, but also because he waited at a place not visible from our house.   This behavior comes from the spirit of thinking of others.    If you have the chance to visit your friend in Japan, try to be just on time or slightly earlier than the appointment.   

This interpretation may vary in the future as I experience and understand The Way of Tea more.

Related entries

The essentials of The Way of Tea

1. Prepare the tea just right

2. Place the charcoal appropriately to boil the water

3. Arrange the flowers as if they were in the fields

4. Make it seem warm in winter, and cool in summer

5. Do things ahead of time

6. Have umbrellas ready even if it is not raining

7. Care about the guests

The essentials: 4. Make it seem warm in winter, and cool in summer

The ancient tea master, Rikyu once said “Make it seem warm in winter, and cool in summer”.  This is one of the seven essentials of The Way of Tea, which I introduced on the previous entry.

In tea ceremonies, the position of the heath is usually close to the guests in winter and far in summer.  I think this scenario could be one of the examples of the essential.  However, I also think this lesson is not only telling us about actual temperatures.   The coolness or warmth can be expressed with the design of utensils, confections or hanging scrolls. 

In summer, you can use a flat-type water container, which creates a large water surface.  The appearance of water can provide some kind of coolness.   Thick and narrow types of a tea bowls are often preferred in winter.  They actually keep the tea warmer, but also their atmosphere creates visual warmth.  I think that these thoughtful hospitalities of the host can help create a better comfort for his/her guests.  In other words, you’d better have a good sense of the season.

I also have a further interpretation more than the sense of the season.  For instance, even if the host serves you a perfect taste of tea, would you be able to enjoy the tea in a very noisy place or in an extremely cold place?  Probably you wouldn’t…  I believe the environment is as important as the taste of tea.   Creating a comfortable environment for your guests is essential.  I think that the comfortable air condition is only one of the examples. 

My interpretation of Rikyu’s “Make it seem warm in winter, and cool in summer” is that
environment of things are very important.

This interpretation may vary in the future as I experience and understand The Way of Tea more.  

Related entries

The essentials of The Way of Tea

1. Prepare the tea just right

2. Place the charcoal appropriately to boil the water

3. Arrange the flowers as if they were in the fields

4. Make it seem warm in winter, and cool in summer

5. Do things ahead of time

6. Have umbrellas ready even if it is not raining

7. Care about the guests