interview: matsu and akky at obubu tea, kyoto, japan
This interview is with two really interesting guys, Matsu and Akky of the Obubu tea plantation, located in Wazuka, in the southern most part of the Kyoto Prefecture, in Kyoto, Japan. A sincere thank-you to Ian Chun of Matcha Latte Media for translating my questions into Japanese, and then translating the answers back into English … Continue reading
the way of tea: an interview with jim (SOKI) herrmann
Jim (Soki) Herrmann has more than has more than 30 years experience with Chado, the Way of Japanese Tea Ceremony. He studied for a period of time at the Urasenke Headquarters in Kyoto, as well as with an advanced teacher in Tokyo for twelve years. He has received his teaching credentials and Tea Name (Soki) … Continue reading
the way of tea: an interview with drew hanson
This is part five in my series of interviews with chanoyu practitioners, This time with Drew Hanson, Urasenke instructor in the United States. You can read part one of this interview series with Gabrielle Soga Caciula of Belgium here; part two with Morgan Beard of Philly Tea, Philadelphia here, part three with Rebecca Lyn Cragg … Continue reading
tea review: genmaicha brown rice tea from obubu tea
I am a big fan of genmaicha tea – it smells strong, sweet, earthy and a lot like popcorn, that’s right, popcorn. When it comes to tea reviews, I’m of the same school of though as Nicole from Tea For Me Please, I can’t write eloquent essays describing the virtues of one type of tea. … Continue reading
matcha at takaragawa onsen: thoughts from an english teacher in tokyo
Jacqueline, a very dear friend of mine from Australia has been living in Tokyo, Japan for the last few years working as an English teacher and tutor. We both share a love of travel and of Japanese green teas, and despite the distance chat all the time, something that I am so very grateful for. … Continue reading
matcha production: from stone mill to cup
I’ve said before how important I think blogging and photography are for tea companies, I like seeing where my tea comes from and how it’s produced. In light of that I wanted to share these photos of matcha being produced for Jing tea. Isn’t that green just amazing! Producing matcha is famously labor intensive – … Continue reading
guest post: the wonderful world of o-cha [a japanese tea festival]
I’m very excited to publish this post – tea and travel‘s first guest post! This article and all the accompanying pictures have been contributed by Melanie Lee. Melanie is a trainer at Gryphon Tea Company an award-winning, Singapore-based gourmet tea company. Please visit her tea blog at and say hello on Twitter @melanderings. __ The … Continue reading
matcha flavored mochi ice-creams in shibuya, tokyo
Mochi ice cream is a Japanese confection made from mochi (pounded sticky rice) with an ice cream filling. They come in all sorts of flavors including tea-inspired flavors like matcha and sakura. Aren’t they just beautiful! Photo by Deborah Austin at Missing Design. __ If you like what you are reading here, please support tea … Continue reading
matcha green tea macarons
I love matcha. Matcha desserts and ice creams are a special favorite of mine (have you seen this delicious matcha and coconut ice cream recipe my friend Antony Perring developed? it’s so good!). Christina has a great blog, she’s a real foodie and documents her travels and gastronomic experiences over at food, je t’aime; and … Continue reading
tea and travel 