We hope everything of you goes well.
Here is one good thing that I just can't wait to tell you:
" The new tea of this year is now started harvesting in this month! "
We just visited our contracted tea farms a couple of times recently, and the teas are looking great as always.
Below is the photo of one of our organic tea farm in Kirishima, the northern place of Kagoshima Prefecture.
The teas have been carefully cultivated and treasured by the farmers and we feel really satisfied with the beautiful green leaves and delicious taste.
We provide our teas which are packed full of our love and nutrition this year as well. We hope every of our customer may enjoy a piece of Kagoshima's spring while drinking them.
However, it makes us feel truly lucky that we are connect by teas.
Hope both you and the people you know are all well. Please enjoy our teas! : )
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The word "tea" is an aromatic beverage commonly prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured leaves of the Camellia Sinensis. And camellia sinensis is a species of evergreen shrub in the flowering plant family.
Tea is the world's second most popular beverage after water. The distinguishing factor that determines whether a tea plant will become green, green, oolong, or black tea is fermentation.
Below is the picture of the types of tea.
1. Green tea is a non-fermented tea, so it retains most of its natural dark green color chlorophyll and minerals. And it tastes more astringent and subtler than oolong or black tea. The names of Chinese green teas denote leaf styles and often make reference to the region where the tea is from. Japanese green teas generally named in how the tea was made. Such as deep steamed tea, hojicha and pan-frying tea.
2. Oolong tea is a partially fermented tea, the color is between green tea and black tea, it is yellowish brown color. Different from green tea, oolong can vary widely in flavor. They can be sweet, woody or fresh with complex aromas, the difference of aroma is depending on the tea tree. And it is especially popular in south China and Taiwan.
3. Black tea is a completely fermented tea. Its color is reddish brown and generally stronger in flavor than other teas. Although teas are all made from same species, but other teas are made from the small-leaved Chinese variety plant, and black teas are made from the large-leaved Assamese plant. And it is popular in the Western world.
4. Pu-erh tea is aged, fermented and is often pressed into a tea brick or a round, flat disk shape. The color of it is darker than black tea and it is very smooth in taste. Pu-erh tea is originated from the country of Pu-erh in Yunnan Province, China. It can be distinguished into raw pu-erh by the piling process.
*Raw pu-erh doesn't go through the piling process, it retains a fresh aroma and a little bit of astringency.
*Ripe pu-erh undergoes the procedure called "wet piling", so a special bacteria will be added to further ferment the tea leaves, and makes pu-erh turns from green to a reddish-brown color.
Above are the short introduction of types of tea, hope you can promptly understand the difference of teas after read this article.
Thank you for reading to the end. Have a nice TEA day~~
]]>1. The first is a hearsay that said, in 1186 (Kamakura Period/鎌倉時代), the samurai of Heike(平家) planted teas in Hioki city(日置市), the southern place in Kagoshima, after they defeated in war.
2.The second is, the chief priest of Hanwaji temple (般若寺, where is in Yoshi Matsu-cho 吉松町, Aira city 姶良市) brought back tea seeds from Uji, Kyoto, and taught his apprentices how to plant teas. This become the oldest record of Kagoshima tea.
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・In 1614-1617 (Edo Period 江戸時代), the annual tax system was started. Citizen need to pay tea as tribute to the government every year.
・In 1688 (Edo Period), the big tea tree in Makizono, Kirishima, in the northern place of Kagoshima started to became famous in this times. Even until now, this tree in Kirishima is still very famous in Japan.
▼The photo below is famous and the oldest tea tree in Kirishima.
・In 1824 (Edo Period), the feudal lord in Kagoshima, Narinobu Shimatsu (島津斉宣), likes the smell of sencha very much, so he started to reward the citizen who plant teas.
・In 1883 (Meiji Period 明治時代), the production of tea in Kagoshima was only accounts 4%.
・In 1939 (Syowa Period昭和時代), the state-run seed stock farms were built in Kagoshima Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture and Nara Prefecture.
・In 1952 (Syowa Period), after the World War II, tea industry became awakening. The production of Kagoshima tea also increased by 20% in Japan and became the second largest producer of tea within Japan.
▼The graph below is the production of different varieties of tea in Kagoshima. (in units of 1,000 square meters)
The most representative variety in Kagoshima is called: Yutaka Midori (ゆたかみどり). The cultivated area in the whole Japan is 2,528,000 square meters. The cultivated area in Kagoshima is 2,403,000 square meters. It accounted 95.06% of the whole cultivated area in Japan.
Tea farms in Kagoshima are mainly built in flat terrain, so it is convenient for machine plucking and other works. Because of the flat terrain, the management of tea farm become easier and the cost can be reduced.
▼The photo is a tea plucking machine.
In Meiji Period, to became a stronger country, Japan started to learn the latest technology and cultures aboard. And to earn more foreign currency, silk and tea became to the 2 most important exportations at that time.
People started to cultivar a large number of sencha. But customers aboard thought the color of green tea looks unnatural, so they started to built many green teas manufactures associations and manufacture the real high-quality teas.
Because the highest economic worth green tea is first flush tea, to increase the value of second flush tea, people started to made them into black tea. At that time, lots of black tea learning centers were built, and Kagoshima Prefecture also became the largest producer of black tea.
▼The photo below is the main tea producing area in Kagoshima.
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]]>▼The picture below is a simple chronology of China and Japanese tea.
Tea drinking was first known around 2700B.C. It has a reference connection to the mythical emperor Shennong who is regarded as the father of Chinese medcine and agriculture.
①Tea first spread to Japan was in Heian Period (平安時代). Tea became a drink of the religious classes in Japan when Japanese monks and envoys are sent to China to learn about its culture, and brought tea back to Japan.
Tea drinking was first referred to in Japanese literature in 815 in Later Chronicles of Japan (Nihon Koki日本後記). In this time, tea was extremely valuable and only drunk by imperial court nobles and Buddhist monks.
②The custom of drinking tea was started from Tang Dynasty (7th-10th). During that time, the tea was harvested and formed into tea bricks which were created for storage and for the effcient transportation of the tea over long distance.
Initially the tea bricks were prepared by roasting and pulverizing the leaves then mixing the resulting tea powder with hot water and salt.
③From these orgins the process evolved until the grinding of steamed green tea became popular in the Song Dynasty (10th-13th).
The method of making powdered tea from steam-prepared dried tea leaves, and preparing the beverage by whipping the tea powder and hot water together in a bowl became popular in latter part of the 12th century.
④ In 1191, there was a Japanese Buddhist Monk, Eisai, who studied Buddhism in China then returned permanently to Japan. He brought tea seeds along with the Zen Buddhist methods of preparing powdered green tea. The seeds that Eisai brought back, were largely considered to create the highest quality tea leaves in all Japan.
⑤ In Muromachi(室町), the real tea farm was made in Uji and also spread to Kanto area(関東), the eastern of Japan. And a place for people take a rest and can drinks teas and eat some Japanese sweets there called Chaya (Tea House/茶屋) are started appearing in this period.
◄Sen no Rikyu
In Azuchi Momoyama period (安土桃山), a business man who called Sen no Rikyu, also known simply as Rikyu, is considered the historical figure with the most profound influence on Chanoyu (Way of Tea/茶の湯) and established Sado (tea ceremony).
⑥ In 1610, Edo period (江戸), Japanese teas were first exported to Europe. In 1632, processions were held to transport the tea pot contained Uji tea as a special local product from Uji, Kyoto Prifecture to Tokyo, which was given to the Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder and the first military dictator of Japan.
The route taken was called the Chatsubo journey (茶壺道中). And teas became to a kind of popular beverage not only among monk and nobles but also among private citizen in this period.
]]>Do you remember there is an important holiday in this month?
Yes, it's Father's Day!!
Are you tired of thinking gift for holidays? We have a new father's day gift idea for you.
Tea is a kind of popular beverage with many health benefits, it contains a lot of nutrients, such as catechins, caffeine and amino acids. It improves your mood and brain function, and also promotes relaxation.
There is nothing better than a relaxation gift to a hard-working dad. So tea will be your new choice this year!
We provide
*Super food - ceremonial grade Matcha
*Japanese green tea (loose leaf type and tea bag type)
*Hojicha (a tea with very good aroma and which you can drink even before bed time).
You can choose some teas that your father would like, or just buy a set for your TEARRIFIC dad!
We are now free shipping within the US, so it is also a good chance to try our teas now.
Click here to find some teas you like!! ➠➠SHOP NOW!!!
]]>According from some researches, I sorted out some benefis of hojicha as following.
1)CATECHIN:
①catechin have effect of antioxidant, and antibacterial.
②it also reduces body fat and blood cholesterol.
③and it can suppress hypertension and blood sugar.
2)AMINO ACIDS (Theanine):
amino acid makes people relax. It decreases blood pressure protect neurons, and improve sleep quality.
3)VITAMINS:
hojicha contains vitamin B2, C, E, beta-carotene, and folate, etc.
①vitamins have effect of antioxidant, anti- aging
②prevention of cold and lifestyle related diseases
③and it can also reduce stress and sustenance of visual acuity at night.
4)CHLOROPHYLL:
①chlorophyll has prevention and treatment of anemia intestinal disorders
②it has regulatory effect of blood cholesterol, antibacterial effect
③and it can discharge some harmful metals
Overall, hojicha is full of nutrients and it's suitable for everyone to drink in the morning or even before go to bed.
And these are all about the main benefits of hojicha, thank you for reading our article!!
Please also don't forget to follow us on our Instagram!!
Click here to see our new post!⇛⇛ https://www.instagram.com/smiletea77/
]]>The word "hoji" in japanese means "roast" in English. The roasting process removes the bitterness and gives hojicha the warm and toasty aroma and beautiful amber color.
It is usually made from lower-grade tea leaves and stem. *Higher-grade ones are too delicate for high temperature roasting.
Hojicha contains lower levels of caffeine than other types of green teas because it undergoes the roasting process. So, it is recommendable for even children or elderly and can be consumed before bedtime.
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How to brew Hojicha? (for 2 people)
Step 1. Prepare 4g of tea leaves in to a tea pot. (1 teaspoon)
Step 2. Pour 200ml of 95℃(203℉) hot water into the tea pot.
*Hojicha is suitable to brew in hot water because it is less of umami and
astringency ingredients.
Step 3. Wait for 30 seconds.
Step 4. Pour your tea evenly into the tea cups and enjoy it !!
]]>Below are some main benefits of matcha.
① Caffeine:
Refresh: Caffeine amount in matcha is almost as high as in coffe, so it makes people refresh. But there is also theanine, which makes people feeling relax in matcha, so the caffeine is not as strong as it in coffee.
② Catechin:
1. Aging and Dementia Prevention: Matcha is rich in catechins. The most biological active catechin in it is called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), it can prevent hardening of the arteries and reactive oxygen species losing.
2. Boost immune & Cold Prevention: Catechin can help with Macrophage activation, and kill virus.
3. Burn fat (calories): Catechin can absorb and burning body fat.
4. Bad breath (halitosis) Prevention: Catechin is a kind of Flavonoid, and Flavonoid is one of the ingredients of gum, so it has effect of deodorant and disinfection. There is also Fluorine in matcha, so it also helps fight cavities.
③ Theanine:
Theanine is a kind of amino acid. Matcha contains up to 5 times as much L-theanine as regular green tea.It makes people relax and improve sleep quality.
④ Vitamin:
Make skin better: Matcha contains a lot of vitamins especially vitamin B, it helps for skin problem, vitamin C helps for making collagen, and vitamin E helps for antioxidant effect.
⑤ Fiber:
Constipation Prevetion: Matcha contains amount of fiber. It can improve bowel movement.
::NOTICE::
Although matcha contains a lot of nutrients, but our body cannot absorb that much if we overdrink it. Matcha is suggested to drink about 5-6 times in a day, and 100ml each time.
Traditionally, people mix a teaspoon of matcha powder with hot water.
Recently, there are many new ways of using matcha, such as matcha latte, matcha smoothie, matcha lemon tea, etc. Besides, you can also create any others matcha drinks that you like.
Let's drink mathca and have a healthy life together!!
]]>In the spring time, flower are blooming everywhere. We found some little purple flowers nearby the tea farms.
Azaleas are also blooming in the whole mountain. The vivid pink color really caught my eyes when I was walking in the green forest.
Wiesterias are best to see in late April to early May. It symbolizes immortality and sensitivity. The tenderness of wisteria always makes me think of our SMILE TEA sencha. It tastes sweet, smooth and easy to swallow. If I have a chance to drink our tea in a wisteria garden, it might be a blissful time for me!
In Kagoshima, volcanic mountain chains are distributed throughout the Prefecture, so the soil here contain high nutrients. This is one of a reason why plants in Kagoshima looks healthy, delicious and beautiful.
In the picture above is Sulfur Valley Geothermal Scenic Area in Kirishima city, the northern Kagoshima.
And because of the volcanic activities, there also have many waterfalls in Kagoshima Prefecture. Any of them looks very relaxing.
In the picture above is the one we went this time. Its name is called MARUO falls, where is also in Kirishima city, the northern Kagoshima.
In conclusion, Kagoshima is a place that full of nature sight and it is the 3rd largest agricultural production site in Japan. It's also the second largest producer of unprocessed tea after Shizuoka Prefecture. If you are a tea lover and having a chance to travel in Japan, I highyly recommend you to visit Kagoshima. I promise that the scenery, food and tea here won't let you down!! :))
]]>According to the traditional Japanese lunar calendar in Japan, the 88th day since the beginning of spring is called HachijyuHachiya(八十八夜), which falls around May 1st-2nd. It is famous as an important date for farmers, especially tea farmers.
The number 8 is considered auspicious in Japan, so the 88th day sounds very lucky. Tea picked on this day is said to give the drinker long life. Nowadays tea is not always picked up on the exact 88th day, it depends on weather conditions and situation of growth, but this word is still commonly used among tea farmers or tea lovers to mark the beginning of tea season.
The tea picked on this day is called Shincha. Shincha in Japanese literally means ‘‘new tea‘‘ and it is usually know as ‘‘First Flush‘‘ in English.
In Kagoshima, tea trees will be shaded 1 week before harvest. We went vivst the tea farms in Kirishima, Northern Kagoshima last Saturday (25, April), and found that farmers were shading the tea trees. So that means the harvest here will start right on the 88th day of this year.
In the picture above shows that the color of shaded leaves is obviously darker than unshaded leaves.
The unshaded part is more like yellowgreen color.
Flowers looks very lively among teas :D
We also found a beautiful bug rested in the organic tea farm.
After a long wait, the harvest has finally come!
The tea farms look very peaceful and everythings look pretty good. We thanks to the God and farmers's hard work and effort, the tea of this year also looks great and delicious, too.
Let us drink some teas and celebrate to the new harvest together!!
]]>Today I would like to share an easy way to make matcha at home.
*Thing to prepare:
First, the things you need to prepare are a tea bowl, tea whisk, tea scoop, fine mesh sieve(option item), 70ml hot water in 80℃, and a dry cloth. (If you don't have tea scoop, it's also okay to use a regular tea spoon).
Step 1. Pour boiling water into the bowl and gently whisk the tip of tea scoop in the hot water. This warm up the bowl and soften the bamboo tines, making tea scoop flexible for effective whisking action.
Step 2. Discard the hot water and dry the inside of the bowl with a dry cloth.
Step 3. Scoop 1 tea spoon(=1 1/2heaping tea scoops) matcha into a fine mesh sieve over a tea bowl. Then sift your matcha into the empty bowl. This will ensure there are no clumps and will makes your tea smoother.
Step 4. Pour the hot water into the tea bowl that you just add matcha in it.
Step 5. Gently combine the matcha and hot water by the tea whisk till it blends well.
Step 6. Whisk your tea quickly in a zig zag motion until the tea is frothy.
Step 7. Then you can enjoy your matcha green tea now!!
Before drinking your mathca, I recommend you to eat a sweet, like Japanese dessert or white chocolate, it makes you feel more delicious of the matcha. :p
]]>Today I would like to have a brief introduction of matcha.
Matcha is a kind of finely milled green tea powder but different from the regular green tea powder. Tea leaves for making matcha is called tencha.
Before harvesting, tea plants will be completely shaded over 20 days from early mid-April. This causes the amino acid, theanine and the alkaloid caffeine in the tea leaves to increase and yields a sweet flavor, distinct aroma and green color.
After harvest, tea leaves will be only steamed and laid out flat to dry. Unlike other regular green teas, tencha will not undergo a rolling process, so the shape of tencha is alike to sea sedge. It has a small flat square shape and darker shade of green.
The regular green tea powder is made from sencha. Tea trees grown for sencha are not shaded, so the color of it will be lighter green and the flavor will be a little bitter. After harvesting, tea leaves will undergo the rolling process, so the shape of it is thin and long, like a needle.
In the picture is our SMILE TEA ceremonial grade matcha. It is both easy and delicious to make in hot or cold water, or even make into other desserts.
While drinking our SMILE TEA ceremonial grade matcha, it will have an initial vegetal taste of Chlorophyll and an astringent taste of catechins that followed by a lingering sweetness of amino acids in your mouth.
Next time, I would like to share about some of the ways to make matcha, and others story about matcha.
]]>This week the tea auctions started as usual here in Kagoshima. And yesterday we were finally able to cup some of the fresh 2020 harvest!
The tea is a slightly shaded deep steamed sencha.
Behind the utensils on the tray you can see a branch from the tea tree as it looks before plucking. Very nice to use as decoration.
During infusion.
The infused tea tasted as good as expected, with the characteristic grassy freshness that you only get from the newly harvested spring flush.
We hope that all of you also get to cup some of the new 2020 teas in the coming months! Stay healthy.
]]>In the background you can see the "Fuji of Southern Kyushu" Mt. Kaimondake with some cloud cover on its peak.
Here is another plantation in a valley close by. Cultivar is Saemidori and plucking is expected to begin during the second week of April.
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Though it's been raining quite often recently, but the new tea leaves are still growing so hard and looking so healthy.
Even it's a rainy day, the tea farm still looks so beautiful and appealing.
The new leaves are just sprouted up only a little bit, so we still need to wait a few weeks until harvest.
Really looking forward to the harvest, and can't wait to try the new tea!!
]]>We are assess these quality and blending some different taste Tencha for to be good taste.
And then grinding the Tencha into Matcha.
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Our organic tea leaves still baby, we hope tea leaves grow healthy :)
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