It's All About Tea

Unlike many Chinese teas that can generally withstand harsher conditions, Japanese teas are well known for their fine qualities. Using water that is too hot can ruin the entire brew. Many people don't take into account how the quality of the water itself can also harshen the final taste of Japanese tea. (Read more)

Last month, we wrote a little bit about the history of the teapot. While kettles for brewing tea have existed for millennia, teapots as brewing vessels became widespread during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). This was around the time when loose leaf tea started gaining popularity over powdered tea. Thanks to the teapot's evolution, we now have not only many shapes but also many different materials to choose from! (Read more)

Chashitsu is the Japanese term for a tea room. It is a little hut, resembling a house, where Japanese tea ceremonies (chanoyu) would take place. Following tradition, matcha green tea is always served in the chashitsu, alongside some simple sweets prepared by the tea master. It is said that chashitsu started appearing during the Sengoku period (mid-15th century to early 17th century). Before then, tea was commonly enjoyed in separate rooms and not in individual tea huts. (Read more)

As much as we love our daily gong fu tea, the summer days are only getting hotter. We know sometimes as much as you’d like to enjoy a quiet moment with your tea pet, brewing up pot after pot of delicious loose leaf tea, the heat can make the practice unbearable. At times like this, we switch to our favorite summer-time tea brewing method — cold brewed tea! (Read more)

Once drinking Japanese green tea was reserved only for the Emperors, noblemen, and samurai. Nowadays, Japanese green tea is enjoyed in households all throughout Japan. The kyusu is used all through Japan for the convenience of brewing Japanese green teas like sencha, genmaicha, and gyokuro. It is an iconic part of modern Japanese tea drinking culture. (Read more)