Hakone Tea Exploring 2 : TEA FACTORY Joshun-en

Picking up where we left off on our Hakone tea journey. See the previous post: Hakone Tea Exploring 1 : NARAYA CAFE   After a relaxing time at NARAYA CAFE, we...

Hakone Tea Exploring 1 : NARAYA CAFE

As autumn deepens, the Kanto region is coming alive in full color with vibrant foliage everywhere. During this beautiful autumn season, we visited Hakone, one of Japan’s most beloved travel destinations....

What is Soba Tea (Buckwheat Tea)?

Have You Heard of “SOBA”? Soba is a plant from the buckwheat family (Polygonaceae, genus Fagopyrum). The seeds from this plant are ground into flour and used to make soba...

Tokushima Prefecture’s Awa Bancha featured in NHK documentary

Starting at 17:25, the documentary shares the process of making Awa Bancha in Tokushima Prefecture, a type of fermented folk tea made in certain Kamikatsu and Aioi Villages in the region....

Discover: Teas of Tokushima Prefecture

Tokushima is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. When one thinks of Japanese tea, Tokushima is probably not the prefecture that comes to mind, especially when one...

World O-CHA Festival in Shizuoka 世界お茶まつり

by Katrina Wild  June 4, 2024   Every three years, Shizuoka Prefecture hosts the World O-CHA Festival, a celebration of tea's rich history, innovation, and diversity. The latest event in...

Kabusecha tea, the semi-shaded tea

As the name suggests in Japanese, “kabusecha” which means covered tea is grown by covering the tea leaves with a cloth called kanreisha before they are harvested. This shade growing...

Granny Kancha and the last Shishikui kancha harvest

On February 3-4, we visited Akemi Ishimoto, an 87 year old kancha tea farmer who is located in the Southernmost tip of Tokushima Prefecture.  You can learn about the kancha...

From our Barista to you: Yunomi.Cafe's Iced Latte Recipes

A little gift from our cafe, yunomi.cafe, in Tokyo to you. These are recipes for iced lattes we serve our guests everyday. Whether you visit us in Tokyo for a...

Hojicha Marshmallow Latte Recipe

Are you ready for an indulgent treat? This simple Hojicha Marshmallow Latte combines the earth, toasted notes of hojicha with a cloud of toasted marshmallows. It's a cafe-quality drink you...

Latte Art Ideas - Masterpiece of a rose

Latte Art Ideas - Camels

An astonishing example of a camel made into latte art....if only it were matcha latte!

Christmas Appetizers Made with Used Green Tea Leaves

Have you tried Green Tea Tsukudani or Cha-novese made from used green tea leaves? If not, enjoy your tea time first, and then turn those tea leaves into delicious dishes....

Cha-novese: Genovese-Style Green Tea Pesto

What is Cha-novese? Inspired by the classic Italian Genovese pesto made with basil and olive oil, we named this unique pesto "Cha-novese" to highlight its use of tea , cha(茶)...

Green Tea Tsukudani (Simmered Green Tea Leaves)

A Delicious Dish with Chagara  Here’s a recipe that makes delicious use of used green tea leaves, used green tea leaves, known as chagara (茶殻) in Japanese.Chagara have been used in...

Black Sesame Matcha Latte Recipe

We’re back with another black sesame creation! If you enjoyed our last recipe, you’ll love this comforting twist — a Black Sesame Matcha Latte. A cozy drink to warm you...

Single Cultivar Matcha Bundle from Osada Tea

Tasting single cultivars without it being blended is a great way to improve your knowledge if matcha (and tea) but only useful if it comes from the same producer who...

Lemon in Cold-Brewed Green Tea: What Changes?

Something I Noticed While Testing a Recipe Recently, while I was testing a new recipe, I came across something interesting, and I thought it might be worth sharing with tea...

How Matcha Storage Temperature Affects Quality

5 minute read To read the Japanese version, please click here.  We recently asked our science team to investigate how matcha storage temperature and duration influence quality. They reviewed scientific...

What do the terms “mukashi” and “shiro” mean in the names of matcha products from traditional brands?

The Art of Matcha Naming in the Centuries Old Matcha Industry: Unraveling the terms “Shiro” 白 and “Mukashi” 昔 In the world of traditional Japanese matcha, the terms Shiro and...

Fukamushi sencha and how it differs from a regular sencha

As its name implies in Japanese, fukamushi sencha is deep steamed tea. “Fukai” (Japanese: 深い) means deep and “mushi” (蒸し) means steamed. This is exactly how fukamushi sencha is processed,...

Looking for a matcha whisk? Here are some tips

Matcha is becoming known globally, with its attractive lush green color and health benifits.  In Japan, the traditional tea ceremony, chado, was initiated in the early 12th century as a...

77th National Tea Competition in Japan

Here is a little bit of tea news from the homefront (Japan). Just last month, from the 22nd to the 25th of August, the 77th National Tea Festival represented by...

Tea Picking Experience with Honey Fragrance Black Tea (蜜香紅茶)

Do you know there is black tea made from tea leaves eaten by insects?  It is called Mikko-kocha (蜜香紅茶), literally means honey fragrance black tea. This special fragrance is created by...