It's All About Tea — japanese tea

Mid May in Japan. Right about now is when tea farmers are busy packing and shipping out the very first green tea harvest of the year. Many wait an entire year to try this first flush tea — shincha. How could they not? The lack of any bitter notes, the undeniable umami, and all the nutrients that the tea bushes have been storing up all winter long. Shincha is well worth the wait! (Read more)

Tea (camellia sinensis) indeed originated in China. Green tea also originated in China. However, Chinese green tea and Japanese green tea vary quite a bit. From Chinese green tea coming in various elaborate shapes and colors to Japanese green tea, which tends to have a darker green color and small flat tea leaves after processing. With so many different tea varieties, green tea is still by far the most commonly consumed tea in both China and Japan. So what are the main differences between Japanese and Chinese green tea? (Read more)

Matcha is always at the forefront of our tea shelf, not just because its a significant boost of energy and exquisite ceremonial style, but also because it's undeniably versatile!

From tea to lattes, smoothies, cocktails, cakes, cookies, salad dressings, barbecue rubs, soup broths, you name it! Matcha has been used both in cooking and beverages for decades. (Read more)

On the shelves of beauty stores nowadays, we find different kinds of skin products with matcha powder as one of the star ingredients. And as we’ve noticed, these products aren’t always the cheapest. Making a home-made matcha green tea face mask is both an economical and sustainable way to keep your skin feeling healthy and refreshed. (Read more)

We all love a cup of hot frothy matcha tea. 

The best thing about it is — as long as you have all the right utensils, it's super easy to make at home. For a small fraction of what you would be paying at a cafe, you can whisk yourself up a cup of hot matcha, iced matcha, matcha latte, or even a matcha cocktail!

So what are the five indispensable tools that any matcha lover needs? (Read more)