BLOG #5: Meeting with our businesspartners and teafarmers from Japan

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Our tea businesspartners came over from Japan last week. Last Friday (15-4) we met them in The Hague. We have showed them our teabar. They were very excited and immediately started taking pictures of the shop and of course we took a picture together. They liked to see how we show the Japanese green teas in our teabar. According to them, you see this modern, clean and minimalist style of decor and presentation not so much in Japan. They thought it is cool that we give such a fresh twist to green tea in our shop/teabar.

(Gift from Japan: Kite with ‘Year of the Rabbit’ what means: GOOD LUCK!)

Mainly in the big city Tokyo appear more and more tea and coffee bars in a similar style. To get a good image, you can take a look at the beautiful blog of a Dutch man and Japanese woman KINJO | TOKYO ‘A new way of seeing Tokyo’. Kinjo also has an Instagram account with many beautiful pictures of all hotspots in Tokyo.

The meeting last Friday with our businesspartners was very successful. We first had a drink in bar & bistro De Twee Heeren in The Hague. Here we let them taste the real Dutch ‘bitterballs’, which were really appreciated! Then we had dinner together by restaurant Publique and talked a lot about tea of course 😉 And then we took them to the ‘kermis’ in The Hague (Malieveld). Quite an experience for them, cause it was something they had never seen before! During our conversations, between the jokes, we learned more and more about our green teas and the teafarmers from Japan.

We highly value the skills and knowledge of passionate teafarmers so let us introduce some of our wonderful teafarmers:

This is mr. Sageishi. He is a very passionate and highly-skilled farmer. He is truly concerned about the safety and quality of his tea. His organic tea farm is carefully managed enabling it to coexist with nature.

This is mr. Morimoto, based in Miyazaki prefecture, is a young energetic farmer. He has a clear passion for tea and works closely with Chato to help deliver delicious organic tea worldwide.

Mr. Kakehashi has worked for a long time producing pesticide-free teas. A man with much skill and refined technique, he processes tea picked from the field by himself.
It is said that with the change of generation, the taste of tea also changes, but Mr.Kakehashi works hard to maintain the rich taste and wholesome flavour of tea of his successors.

We have learned more about our green teas, during our meeting wits our Japanese businesspartner. First, the Matcha… This year our businesspartner process Matcha tea itself. Thet receive Tencha from the teafarmers in Shizuoka, Miyazaki and Kagoshima and grind it themselves to Matcha powder tea. Shizuoka is the largest and most famous tea area in Japan. Miyazaki and Kagoshima (in the south) are smaller, but are especiale known for the certified organic tea plantations. The Class A Matcha we sell in our teabar and webshop comes from the area Kagoshima. Matcha tea from another area, has also a different flavors. When we have Matcha from another area, we will mention this at that time on our website.

We wondered where the rare Guricha comes from and how it is that this tea is curly and not acicular like Sencha and Gyokuro ffor example. Our Guricha comes from tthe areas Kagoshima and Shizuoka. After being steamed, tthe tea is fried in a large pan. This is why the tea gets a mild, fruity and slightly sweet flavor and creates curly tea leaves. This happens also when the Houjicha, but then for a longer period of time, so thats why this tea is really roasted and gets a brown color. The Guricha is shorter in the pan, so thats why the tea retains its green color. We note that new customers who are not yet accustomed to drink green loose tea, think Guricha a very nice tea, because its mild, fruity and slightly sweet flavor!

In southern Japan (Kagoshima and Miyazaki) the tea farmers starting now to harvest. In the rest of Japan the temperature is less warm, so the harvest will follow later this spring. The new first flush tea will be ready in June / July 2016 for sales, so we must have a little patience 😉

We will keep you informed about the NEW first flush tea and when it’s available in our teabar and webshop!

Keep hugging our teas!