The Japanese tea ceremony is famous throughout the world and is known as a symbol of refinement, elegance and passion for tea, but not only. The Japanese tea ceremony also represents a different and deeper way of life, more aware of the importance of each moment of life, and more considerate of the pleasure even the simple act of drinking tea can give. It's a known fact that tea is a very important part of the daily diet all throughout Asia, but it's the Japanese tea ceremony that has been made most famous. Of course, the existence of such a significant and impressive ceremony begs the question: what kind of tea would warrant the existence of such a ceremony and what is Japanese tea like?
The most popular tea in Japan is green tea, and it can be found in many forms. Gyokuro is considered the highest quality Japanese green tea, followed by Sincha and Bancha, also green teas. Bancha is considered the "common tea" and is a lower grade tea from Sincha, which is harvested from the same bush. As opposed to Bancha, which represents the second harvest, Sincha is obtained from the first leaf harvest from the Sencha bush. Gyokuro is the finest amongst Japanese green teas, and it differs from the other types of tea because of the way it is cultivated and because of the type of plant it is obtained from. Gyokuro cultures must be kept in the shade, instead of in full sun like the other types of tea, and the bushes it is harvested from usually belong to the Asashi and Okumidori families, but not only.
The tea used in the Japanese tea ceremony (known as Chanoyu or Chad?) goes by the name of Matcha, and is made by turning the green tea leaves into powder. It is known to have a bitter taste. During the tea ceremony, the powdered tea is placed into a bowl and hot water is poured on top, after which the tea and water are whipped with the help of a special tool made out of bamboo.
Another type of Japanese tea is Hojicha. The infusion obtained from this variety of tea has a redish-brown color and is obtained after the roasting of the tea leaves in a pan, a procedure which gives the tea its name (Hojicha in Japanese means pan-roasted). The roasting has several effects on the tea. For one, it reduces the amount of caffeine in the infusion, which makes it a preferred beverage for the evening, as well as for children or elderly people. The other effect of the roasting is sensed in the taste of this tea. Along with an absence of the slight grassy taste that green teas have, Hojicha has a slight caramel note in its taste.
Some varieties of Chinese teas are also consumed in Japan, for the most part belonging to the Oolong tea category, but not only. Another tea popular in Japan seems to be the Kocha, which is a black tea.
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The Japanese tea ceremony is famous throughout the world and is known as a symbol of refinement, elegance and passion for tea, but not only. The Japanese tea ceremony also represents a different and deeper way of life, more aware of the importance of each moment of life, and more considerate of the pleasure even the simple act of drinking tea can give. It's a known fact that tea is a very important part of the daily diet all throughout Asia, but it's the Japanese tea ceremony that has been made most famous. Of course, the existence of such a significant and impressive ceremony begs the question: what kind of tea would warrant the existence of such a ceremony and what is Japanese tea like?
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