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Uji Cha, the best of Japan probably, but to me, most definitely….

Tea Adventures

Uji Cha, the best of Japan probably, but to me, most definitely. The balance of shibumi bitter and umami savory is bold, complex, memorable. The astringent greens of more commercialized regions are merely thin and bitter in comparison, with a sharp, shale aftertaste. The Uji teas are viscuous, broth like, with a mesmerizing dance that deserves meditation. But its exquisite liqueur is also unassuming, like the people who make it, and the mad river that runs through it- the Ujikawa- that’s clean, deep, and full of fossil minerality.

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Kanpeki 完璧means perfection. That definition suits Japanese-ness…

Tea Adventures

Kanpeki 完璧means perfection. That definition suits Japanese-ness more than anything else they strive for. It’s in the blood, so to speak, to always do a job well done, to give it one’s all, and to accept that although perfection is like the infinity curve, still, one’s life only has meaning when at least, effort is put in to try to reach perfection. Context is everything when you try to understand an old but living culture. If you don’t reach kanpeki, then die trying.
What is perfection in tea?

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There is a fierce discussion going on at the ISO regarding the…

Tea Adventures

There is a fierce discussion going on at the ISO regarding the definition of real matcha. There are lots of powdered tea, powdered tea from other countries, and then it gets down to details, as far as Mr. Koyama is concerned, how many days the tea plants are shaded, whether they are deveined and flat or rolled to extract more flavor ( because without shading there is much less flavor), etc. Highly professional requirements that large manufacturers who just want to supply ‘matcha’ to Starbucks wants the definition to stretch. Mr. Koyama was far too gracious, in my humble opinion, in terms of the definition. The best teas grown from the best water source is Uji but matcha doesn’t have to come from Uji per se. Rather, shading the teas more than 20 days ( their top grades are shaded for 1 month) to coax the utmost chlorophyll and flavor, and a production process with such minute care as the family secret stones cut a certain way, as well as not milling more than 40gm slowly per hour per mill, ensuring not overheating the leaves, make a pronounced and very obvious flavor difference. Life is short, we will not be drinking bad matcha, and that is unfortunately, most of what is in the U.S.

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Staying in a 400 year old, old, Japanese temple and living with…

Tea Adventures

Staying in a 400 year old, old, Japanese temple and living with amenities from the 18th century. The grass is unkempt outside and the cicadas are loud with their pronouncement of summer. The bath is to pour your own water over your head. I keep wondering if I’ll run into a samurai ghost. It’s been really bizarre to merge all the elements of life anywhere. So far, I’ve been in places as disparate as a 5th century AD mud hovel in Yunnan, live and work tea production house on top of the mountain in Phoenix Mtn, lived with ducks under my feet at Anxi, on the 16th floor in Hong Kong Island, in a farm ‘hotel’ underneathe beetlenut trees in Nantou, and today, in a time capsule back to a tatami room in the Kannonji Temple, Kyoto. Been speaking China Mandarin, Cantonese, Hong Kong Canto slang, Taiwanese Mandarin, and today, Japanese, barely. And then writing it all down in English.

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