It was the Buddhist monk, who came back from China, who first introduced the Japanese tea drinking in Japan. For more than 4000 years, preparing and drinking tea has been a practice in China. During that time the when the monk came back the tea that was popular was known as brick tea wherein the leaves of the tea leaves were pounded and steamed, then pressed into molds and dried up until it becomes hard. It will be then grounded using mortar and pestle.
The grounded tea leaves will then be combined with many flavorings and herbs. It was then that the drinking and preparation of the tea evolved and until now used by so many people from medicinal purposes and now used for pleasure too.1
Japanese Tea Ceremony
There is so called the Japanese tea ceremony where in a tea is to be prepared and served by an independent tea house. In the garden, the guests will have to wait until the host is finished preparing tea for them. First, they have to wash their hands ritually using water from a small stone and then rinsed their mouth before taking the tea. After that they will now go in the garden of the tea house. They have to remove their shoes before entering the tea houses, and be seated according to prestige. There are lots of other styles of tea ceremony and it all depends on what type of season, occasion they have and many other factors.1
Nowadays, a lot of people around the world are drinking tea as part of their daily routine. There are hundreds of millions of people from China, India and in Western countries drink tea. There are many types of tea that are available today and it all depends on how they are being prepared and where the tea leaves came from.1
Types of Japanese Tea
Tea is believed to have developed in the entire Japan. Japan is one of the top ten countries that manufacture tea all over the world. Uji Sayama, Kagoshima and Shizupla are the growing places in Japan.2
In the first weeks of May is the first crop of each year where it produces the top qualities of Japanese tea. New tea or Chin-Cha is what they call it. Winter is usually the dormancy period the primary leaves of the season are rich in catechins and amino acids nutrients. It helps improve the taste and fragrance of this first cropped tea. After the dormancy period which is usually during winter, the primary leaves of the season are affluent with nutrients such as catechins and amino acids. These improve the taste and fragrance of this initially cropped tea. It has a bright green shade, strong fragrance and unique sweetness. 2
Here Are Some Popular Japanese Teas:
Sencha
This type of tea is considered the most famous Japanese tea. It is grown under the sun and being processed in different stages such as cutting, filtering, steaming and blending. It has a slight sweetness, gentle astringency and floral green aroma. Its quality is dependent on its origin, time of the crop and the kind of process being used.2
Fukamushi Sencha
This tea is the deeper roasted version of Sencha. Steamed longer compared to the normal Sencha and is further steamed until it breaks down the fiber which results to a rough leaf than the usual.2
Gyokuro
Gyokuro tea is basically growing in shade areas. You cannot see it in any Japanese tea cupboard and considered to be the finest and expensive teas. It is produced by first shading the bushes of the tea for at least three weeks before it will be harvested. By process the leaf of the tea was able to get the soil's nutrition. Gyokuro is known for its sweet flavor and rich green color2. It literally means "Jade Dew" due to its green pale color3
Bancha
It is known in Japan for its strong flavor and it is made from the tea’s lower part. It is usually thick and big and has lesser fragrant and a little more astringent.2
Kukicha
A special kind of tea that consists of stalks and stems from the Sencha's production. It has a light, translucent green color with a gentle sweet and strong flavor. It is one great example of the Japanese green tea variety2
Matcha
This is the most common tea in many Japanese tea ceremonies. 2This tea is from Tencha and not from Sencha which makes it different from any other tea. It literally means powdered green tea. 1
Green Tea
It is one kind of Japanese tea that is manufactured through unfermented tea leaves. It contains the highest concentration of polyphenols, which are the most powerful antioxidants. Green tea is also used to promote urination and used as stimulant. It helps control bleeding and helps heal wounds as well.2
There are lots Japanese tea kinds and each of it has its own unique flavor to give.
Japanese Tea Sets Supplier
Japanese tea is enjoyable to drink and most important of all it has many great benefits to our body. It makes us live healthy and to live a better life. That is why a lot of people today preferred to drink tea instead of other beverages. You can easily find many Japanese teas available everywhere and it will be great to drink your Japanese tea by using a Japanese tea set that will surely be a great match.
Here, at AsianIdeas.com, we offer you a wide variety of porcelain and ceramic Japanese tea set and Chinese tea set that will make you more enjoy drinking your favorite tea. You can choose from traditional to modern design that will perfectly fit your taste and style.
