It's All About Tea — japanese tea

Let's take an in-depth look at matcha vs. green tea. Yes, technically matcha is stone-ground powdered green tea. But we cannot take the green tea leaves we have sitting in our cupboard and grind those up. Matcha tea processing is a complex tradition that is hundreds, even thousands, years old. The amount of people who know how to process matcha vs. those who process other types of green tea is quite limited. Even the tea leaves used for preparing the powder require special growth conditions. So let's discuss what makes both matcha powder and Japanese green tea so unique in their own way.  (Read more)

Hojicha is a Japanese roasted green tea. It is one of the most popular teas in Japan. Thanks to Hojicha caffeine content being quite low, it's a popular beverage to consume after dinner and even kids love it! Hojicha tea has a pleasant, sweet roasted aroma similar to candied nuts or chestnuts, which makes it a favorite amongst people of all ages. (Read more)

We’ve already covered the difference between ceremonial and culinary grade matcha and the big gap in price, but what about comparing to other types of Japanese tea? Why is matcha so expensive? (Read more)

When thinking of Japanese culture, many of us have come across the term wabi-sabi. Although hard to define literally, wabi-sabi is a concept centered around the appreciation of imperfection. It is carried throughout many aspects of Japanese culture. From art to architecture, literature, poetry, nature, design, and one of the places it’s seen the most… tea ceremony. (Read more)

Have you ever wondered what time of year your favorite teas are harvested?
Since tea bushes aren’t grown in greenhouses but are naturally grown in tea farms outside or sometimes even wildly, timing the harvest is of utter importance. With certain teas a crop can only be limited to a few days out of the whole year — if missed, the farmers would have to wait for the next season to produce this type of tea. (Read more)