Japanese tea

Japanese tea is very different from the rest of the world. Although most Japanese teas are green, they are not very reminiscent of their Chinese counterparts. While China's green tea tradition is based on pure, light, roasted characters, we find in Japan, fuller umami tea, often with marine, algal aromas. We find the explanation mainly in the breeding methods, where the Japanese craft revolves a lot around extensive rolling of the leaves and steaming instead of roasting. The rolling opens up the cells and releases the fullness, the steaming emphasizes completely different aromas than roasting, the ones we often describe as algal. In addition to this, Japanese growers are experimenting with unique methods of shading, where the amount of sun is reduced the time before harvest, which greatly affects the leaves' nutrient content and taste profile. Given the great impact the craft has on Japanese teas, the role of the producer is extra important. With their fullness and umami richness, the Japanese teas are excellent for food. Of course, they are made for Japanese cuisine, but also exceptionally good for seafood. You also get a very nice and unique taste break with algae teas for sweets. Well worth a try is a whipped match instead of coffee for dessert or coffee.
All our Japanese teas are grown without pesticides and fertilizers and are organically certified.

Brewing / Preparation
It is important when preparing Japanese green teas to keep the temperature down, follow our instructions otherwise the tea will be easily over-extracted and rough. But feel free to experiment with increased amount of tea leaves and longer extraction time. In the Japanese tradition, people like the tea to be very full-bodied and tasty, almost overwhelming. Matchate, ground to a powder, whisk.