(Permanent Edition) A Thorough Explanation of Japanese Tea!

First of all, from its budding to harvest, Sencha is grown in full sunlight. After harvest, it is steamed in strong vapor, then by gradually increasing the heat, the water evaporates and the leaves are sorted as they dry out. Grown in the sunshine, this tea characteristically features a pleasant bitterness and a mild fragrance.
By the way, this tea is finely ground into a powder and processed to be used as the powdered tea that can be found at conveyor-belt "kaiten" sushi shops.

With Matcha, a major difference is that it is covered up in the tea plantation, thus preventing exposure to direct sunlight for a certain period of time. In addition, after steaming the leaves, they are dried without sorting, then carefully ground into a fine powder. By protecting it from direct sunlight for a certain period of time, the bitterness is reduced, thus producing a leaf with a lot of "umami" flavor. Since it producing Matcha requires extra care, such as removing unnecessary parts like the stems, it is more expensive than other green teas.

This is believed to be the start of tea in Japan, as the seeds were brought over from China by Buddhist monks such as Kukai and Saicho. At that time, tea was very precious, so only a few people could drink it.

From about this time, the culture of drinking tea spread to samurai. Tea cultivation started in Kyoto, where it continues to this day. With such a long history, Kyoto (namely, Uji, which is part of Kyoto) has become famous for its tea production.

In the Muromachi Era, there were contests to see who could successfully distinguish the tastes of teas. Later, tea parties became popular. There were no contests at these events, but people could enjoy the elegance of drinking tea out of gorgeously designed imported tea cups.

In this era, there were no competitions for gorgeous implements and flashy contrivances. Rather, a higher state of mind was pursued through the enjoyment of "Wabicha", in which the mind was silenced by making tea. This practice is connected to the modern age through the tea ceremony called "Chado", or the Way of Tea.

By this time, tea was enjoyed not only by samurai and royalty, but also by ordinary people. In particular, in Kyoto's Uji-Tahara Town, a production method was developed to enhance tea flavor and aroma. The excellent tea produced by the Uji method made it even more popular.

During this period in Japan, there was a reformation in government, with power transferred from shoguns to the Emperor. After this revolution, the last shogun, Yoshinobu Tokugawa, moved to Shizuoka, where rough land was plowed to make a tea plantation. That land was passed on to the local farmers, and Shizuoka Prefecture became one of a limited number of places in Japan that produce tea.

Ito-en, a major beverage manufacturer in Japan, was the first in the world to develop a canned tea. From that time, tea could easily be enjoyed anywhere. Japanese people took to the custom of drinking tea to such an extent that it became known as the national drink of Japan.

The above is a simple history of tea in Japan. Your country may also have such a proud history of tea.

First, we will introduce the traditional and authentic way to make matcha as well as the manners associated with Chado, or the Way of Tea.

Even without performing an authentic tea ceremony like the one described above, a teapot may be used to enjoy tea more easily.

A simpler way to enjoy tea than the Chado tea ceremony has been introduced above, but this writer feels that even using a teapot can be a bit bothersome. Now I'd like to explain how to enjoy tea by using an instant powdered tea product. When we look at instant food, it might leave the impression that the taste or aroma will be lacking. However, there is a product made and sold by Ito-En, the beverage manufacturer mentioned at the end of this article's section on The History of Japanese Tea. Their "O-I O-cha Loose Sencha with Matcha" is a little different. By being very particular in their selection of ingredients and production methodology, Ito-En created a tea that retains the original taste and aroma of real green tea.

It's very simple to prepare with the following two steps.

Just by doing the above, you may be surprised by the taste, color and aroma that can be savored, all with an authentic green tea flavor.

In the suburbs of Uji city in Kyoto Prefecture, the whole area of Yamashiro and Wazuka town is famous for producing high-quality teas. Featuring an elegant fragrance and rich "umami" flavor, it shallow steaming is the main process. In addition to Matcha, it is known for producing other varieties of tea, such as Gyokuro and crushed tea (the basis for Matcha).

This area is well-known as a producer of Gyokuro tea. With plural cultivation, this tea features a fresh green color and a flavorful "umami". Mainly processed by medium to deep steaming, this tea is produced in the towns of Hoshino-mura and Kurogi-cho in Yame city.

This region boasts the the largest tea production in all of Japan. Next to Uji-cha, it is the best-known tea of Japan. In the mountain valleys of Kawane, Tenryu and Yamamoto, the climate is favorable for producing the high-quality tea that Shizuoka is famous for.
In particular, Shizuoka Prefecture has the largest tea production of all tea-producing regions in Japan. There are many famous tea-producing areas in Shizuoka Prefecture, and each one features its own special characteristics.

By the way, Shizuoka's tea is supported by tea masters called "Cha-shi". From ancient times, tea production has relied on the work of "hand-sorting". Their skills and techniques at sorting can determine the price of tea by matching the conditions and characteristics of the leaves that were harvested to the type of tea they want to make. Thanks to the hand-sorting skills that have been polished over the years, the efforts of Cha-shi have continued to create a tea of high quality.

The above information is not well known, even among Japanese people. Now that you know a little about Japanese tea, you can show off to your friends or family, so be sure to bookmark this article!