It's All About Tea — japanese tea ceremony

We see this topic pop up a lot. So what really is the difference between culinary and ceremonial grade matcha!?

The most significant difference is that ceremonial grade matcha is made from exceptionally high-quality leaves and as the name suggests, is used almost exclusively for traditional Japanese tea ceremonies or the making of koicha. 

Unfortunately, the common misconception is that culinary grade matcha is of poor quality and thus is reserved for cooking where the high quality doesn’t matter as much. The truth is that good culinary grade matcha is perfect for making a delicious cup of frothy, whisked matcha, matcha lattes, and cooking. (Read more)

Tea meditation is simple and requires no prior knowledge of meditation practices. All you need is your desire to be in the present moment.

The meditation can be practiced for as little or as long as you want, any time of the day. It is really all up to you!

There is a tendency amongst people to get up in the morning feeling rushed to get somewhere. Why not try getting up a little earlier and dedicating the time for this simple tea meditation? (Read more)

Today a chasen (bamboo whisk) is undoubtedly one of the most indispensable parts of Chanoyu (Japanese tea ceremony). You might walk into a modern coffee shop or tea cafe and see the baristas preparing your matcha by shaking or blending the matcha powder with hot water (and possibly milk), but to many matcha lovers out there this is simply despicable. If you are present at a Japanese tea ceremony, you will not expect for your matcha to be whisked with anything but a chasen. (Read more)

We all know of Chado (the way of tea) or Chanoyu, which refers to the traditional Japanese matcha tea ceremony. But how many of us know that Senchado (the way of sencha) was a thing as much as Chado at a time? Although now sencha is drunk in much more casual settings, most commonly in the comforts of one’s home or perhaps at a sushi restaurant, it started off as a more or less a ceremony quite similar to gong fu cha. (Read more)

When sipping koicha, it will slowly but surely proceed to greet you. Meeting you with a brief moment of intense umami and a long-lingering sweetness. Similarly to gongfucha when we intake a concentrate of all the tea’s best qualities all through one tiny cup of brew. (Read more)