It's All About Tea — sencha

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)

Today Japanese teas are renowned around the world for their fresh, grassy taste, and unmistakable umami. Because of these favorable qualities, Japanese tea also requires extra care when storing.  (Read more)

Most people who are into tea and especially those who are into Japanese culture (or at least those who have been to a Japanese restaurant) will most likely know of the most popular types of green teas consumed in Japan: sencha, genmaicha, gyokuro, and matcha.

These are but only the most commonly consumed teas which you might find in most places you visit, both in Japan and abroad. Whether you are planning a trip to Japan or just wish to learn more about the teas produced in Japan, there are indeed many more tea types to discover! (Read more) 

We see these questions pop up a lot: What is the difference between sencha and matcha? And, if matcha is powdered green tea can I just grind up some sencha at home? We will try to clarify some of these concepts! (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)