It's All About Tea

The gaiwan has existed as part of traditional Chinese tea drinking since the 12th century, if not earlier. However, it was not always implemented in the same ways as it is in today’s gong fu ceremonies. Back in the day, people would drink tea directly from the gaiwan. (Read more)

Many of us were lead to believe that it is reasonable to pay an extremely high price for a pu-erh aged 20+ years. Most often it is actually unreasonable.
In fact, older age does not equal better taste, and although there are some longer-aged pu-erhs out there with an exceptional taste, in general, this should not be your area of focus when looking to buy a delicious cake. (Read more)

If you are a fan of Japanese teas you’ve probably heard, tried, or been recommended to try Gyokuro. So what makes Gyokuro so special?

I must make a confession: incidentally, Gyokuro was the first Japanese tea I’ve ever tried. This was many years back. I went into a tea shop, asked for the staffs’ recommendation and whether I could smell a few different varieties.

After getting a whiff of Gyokuro I had to look no further to what tea I would be trying that day... (Read more)

Yunomi teacups are medium sized tea cups ranging anywhere from 90 to 160 ml. They are the most common used teacups in Japan and can be found in almost every eatery and home. Unlike the chawan which is used for more formal Japanese tea ceremonies, Yunomi cups are used for casual everyday tea drinking. (Read more)

We see this topic pop up a lot. So what really is the difference between culinary and ceremonial grade matcha!?

The most significant difference is that ceremonial grade matcha is made from exceptionally high-quality leaves and as the name suggests, is used almost exclusively for traditional Japanese tea ceremonies or the making of koicha. 

Unfortunately, the common misconception is that culinary grade matcha is of poor quality and thus is reserved for cooking where the high quality doesn’t matter as much. The truth is that good culinary grade matcha is perfect for making a delicious cup of frothy, whisked matcha, matcha lattes, and cooking. (Read more)