Seasonal Tea — Japan

Shizuoka Prefecture, located on the main island of Honshu, contains the largest tea growing region in Japan. The quality of tea produced here can be excellent, but the more innovative work involving unique cultivars, organic farming, and general experimentation tends to be done further south near Kagoshima where warmer weather allows for larger, earlier harvests. The advantage to tea grown in Shizuoka is a cool climate, located in a part of Japan known for its natural beauty, which allows the tea plant to grow slowly, and develop lots of savory flavor that is desirable in early spring harvested green tea....

You will need: 4 grams of Kilogram Organic Matcha fine mesh wire strainer, to be used as a sifter 2 oz of 175°F water small whisk cocktail shaker ¾ oz of simple syrup 8 oz of Oatly Barista Edition Oat Milk 3 oz ice Sift the matcha into the cocktail shaker. Add the 175°F water and whisk for 10 seconds. Add the ice, oat milk, and simple syrup to the shaker. Shake vigorously until cold and frothy. Serve in a pint glass.

You will need: 1.5 grams of Kilogram Organic Matcha fine mesh wire strainer, to be used as a sifter 1 oz of 210°F water small whisk cocktail shaker ¾ oz of simple syrup fresh mint ice Sift the matcha into the cocktail shaker. Add the 210°F water and whisk vigorously for 10 seconds. Add the simple syrup. Slap a sprig of mint to release the essential oils, and add it along with 6 oz of ice to the shaker. Shake aggressively long enough to cool the mixture and release the mint flavor. Pour the entire contents into a pint glass...

Matcha is powdered green tea from Japan. When whisked vigorously with hot water, it produces a thick, frothy beverage that is rich in flavor, amino acids, and antioxidants. It originated in China during the Tang Dynasty in the form of a coarse, steamed green tea that was compressed into cakes. Pieces of the dried cakes would be roasted and crushed into a powder to be mixed with water. In 1191, a Zen Buddhist monk named Eisai traveled from Japan to China and returned with powdered tea. Over the next couple of centuries, the cultivation and processing of matcha was perfected...

Most sencha is a blend of many different teas. Whether it is made from different cultivars, vintages, harvest seasons, steaming types, or leaf sizes, a sencha is almost always a blend several different teas. Our Sencha Asatsuyu is unusual because it is a single cultivar, medium-steamed tea that was harvested last year during the end of the May. Sencha made from a single cultivar was at one time somewhat unusual. As Western tea drinkers have learned about Japanese tea, the popularity has increased. An understanding that the cultivars and processes are as varied as the ones used in wine production...