Professional's Guide to Japanese Tea

Ice steeping, the secret to making your Japanese tea more umami-full
We’re in the midst of the monsoon season in Japan, the rainy and muggy days continue... After the rains, come the hot humid summer days. And if you...

Exploring the Color of Tea
This blogpost was written by guest writer Jimmy Burridge, PhD in Plant Science and tea aficionado. Photos are also from Jimmy. Enjoy!
Introducti...

Japanese Tea Harvesting Methods
The 2023 Shincha season is here! Many tea farms will be starting, or have already started their very first tea harvest for the new season. We say ...

The Art of Hand Rolling Tea
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Koukien Tea Garden, a tea farm based near Makizono-cho, Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture. They are a family...

Meet the Tea Farmer: Mataki Tatefumi
For today’s tea farmer interview at Yunomi, we are with 3rd generation tea farmer and CEO of Sueyoshi Tea Atelier in Soo City, Kagoshima Prefectur...

Why Hojicha is Low in Caffeine
One all-time favorite tea and one which ceases to lose popularity among the Japanese is hojicha, a roasted green tea with origins in Kyoto (I will ...

How are teas evaluated at Japan's tea competitions?
While there are many awards for teas (as well as more generic awards for food) held worldwide as well as in Japan, when we refer to "tea competitio...

The Chemistry Behind Tea Flavor
This blog post was written by guest Jimmy Burridge, PhD in Plant Science and tea aficionado, with a burgeoning interest in the intersection of tea ...

Lateral buds on tea leaves
While the plant prioritizes the apex bud, the new leaf that grows out of the tip of a branch of leaves, the plant also produces lateral buds, or ne...

Okayama Prefecture's Treasured Bancha - Mimasaka Bancha Crafting
When you think of Okayama Prefecture, what tea comes to mind?
For those of you who answered mimasaka bancha, you are right on point! While Okayama...

Link between Water Hardness and the Taste of Tea
Have you ever had the experience that the Japanese tea you made at home tastes different from the product description or people's reviews although ...

Bamboo and the Art of Chasen Making
Today, I would like to talk about chasen (茶筅), the indispensable and quintessential tea whisk that is used to make matcha, particularly focusing on...