Category: Japanese

Uji Gyokuro of Spring 2013

It’s been a long time since I last went to Teance, between research and editing, I can no longer afford 2-3 hours with tea. However, today was one of those days when things didn’t go as planned, I was up…

One-year-old shincha

Last spring, I got two bags of last-spring (Spring 2012) shincha (新茶) from Yaoya-san in El Cerrito. The soft green color of the bags was so pleasing, I like shincha so much (it immediately became my number-one favorite green tea when I…

Goji Berry, Wild Trees, and Tofu Misozuke

Six-month-old rooibos kombu tofu misozuke: whoof that was strong! I think at this stage it should be called “sake camembert”. You have to dig deep (let the cheese linger on the tongue for 5 seconds) to taste the rooibos kombu(*),…

Shincha of Spring 2012

“Shincha” means “new tea”. It’s popular in Japan, but outside of the Japan, it’s the kind of “insider tea” that only a regular would know because the host whispers to her “hey we just got a small bag arrive in…

Shiso Mochi and Spring 2012 Sencha

This must be the fifth time I’m talking about sencha, but the Spring 2012 harvest is a world difference from last year crop. To top it off with Masood’s steeping skill, who I’ve heard is the person to make sencha,…

Pair of porcelain yunomi

Three years ago (wow, I’ve been in Berkeley that long?!) I won this set at a silent auction at a Japanese Buddhist Temple. I was *so* excited. I didn’t know what they were called at the time, but I knew…

Sencha and yomogi mochi

The third pairing of mochi and Japanese green tea. Perfect! Yes, finally a mochi that goes perfectly with sencha. Yomogi (Japanese mugwort), julienned into tiny strings and mixed with the mochi dough, gives the mochi a clean, refreshing taste, which…

Matcha and kabocha mochi

Another pairing of Japanese tea and Japanese snack. A bowl of matcha is supposed to suffice your daily vegetable need because you’re actually consuming the leaves themselves, in powder form. Matcha is served in a bowl. Mix water (205 F)…