Makinohara teas are widely used by various shops. Today, I’d like to report the attempt of collaboration between a tea farmer and a glossary shop.
The glossary shop, “Myrte” in Fujieda city, sells a variety of fancy goods, including Japanese teas (of course Makinohara teas too).
Myrte sells teas and tea related products. The inside of shop is very fancy.
Shizuoka teas in Myrte.
The shop manager is planning to hold a program for steady customers to experience the hand-processing of black tea. In order to archive higher customers’ satisfaction, Myrte held a trial program with the people involved.
In the trial program, tea farmers from Makinohara region explained and demonstrated how to make black tea by hand with daily commodities, such as chopping block, microwave oven, electric griddle. They brought frozen tea leaves, that was hand-plucked by them at the beginning of autumn in this year. The tea leaves were frozen after withering for 16 hours. This procedure enable them to hold experience program in every season.
Before the program, thawed tea leaves, chopping block, program documents were lied on the table.
At the beginning of the program, the tea farmer served a very excellent cup of green tea. The name of cultivar is “Okuyutaka”. All participants felt rich and mild umami with floral aroma, characteristic to the cultivar. This first cuppa was very effective to exit the participants, I thought.
Loose leaf tea of “Okuyutaka”. Silky needle-shaped leaves! (Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of its infusion.) Far beyond the tea, dried flowers are exhibited in the shop.
Then we started the hand-processing of black tea.
The first procedure is rolling. In this procedure, tea leaves are rolled and pressured by hand for almost 30 min. The physical damage to tissue of tea leaves induces breakage of vacuolar and oxidase activation due to exposure to air, resulting in the oxidase reaction of catechins and subsequent products of polyphenols such as theaflavin and thealubigin. We can look the sign of the reactions in the color change of tea leaves. As oxidation progresses, the color of tea leaves changes to red.
Change of tea leaves by hand-rolling. Left : Before rolling, Right : After rolling.
In the second procedure, tea leaves are kept on 30 degree Celsius and under high humidity for 90 min. by using a kitchen microwave. Recent microwave ovens have functions to cook on the constant temperature and under higher humidity. This operation promotes oxidation reactions to polymerize catechins and other constituents to polyphenols.
Hand-rolled tea leaves before the 2nd procedure of microwave oven.
The color of tea leaves is not so red at this period.
The door of microwave oven is misted due to high humidity inside.
When checking the progress of oxidase reaction, we could look the change of color to more red.
As the third procedure, an electric griddle is used to stop the enzymatic reactions by heating. It takes about 5 min. To prevent overheating one side of tea leaves, it is required to stir frequently by hand.
Hand-stiring on an electric griddle.
In the final procedure, tea leaves are dried by oven at 110 degree Celsius for 15 min.
Then tasting!!
The shape and color of tea leaves.
All participants compared brewed black tea and aroma of tea leaves after infusion each other.
We tried tasting black tea with milk too.
Interestingly, the flavor of each black tea is different. Differences in rolling, pressuring and hand temperature may contribute the difference in flavor. Speculating the causes could make us exited.
In the waiting time, the tea farmer prepared two types of his black tea, Benifuki black tea and roasted one.
Benifuki is one of the tea cultivars produced in Japan. Many tea farmers use this cultivar for black tea production, for example, Miura-en, Imura-en as posted previously. This cultivar can derive floral and fruits-like aroma by oxidase reactions. His black tea also has nice aroma and smooth taste.
Liquor color of the roasted one is more red. The roasted one has relatively less aroma then the origin but its taste is more bodied.
Tea time requires sweet stuff. The shop manager made the paper craft of confection basket. This craft is called as “Origami”, this technique is applied for the solar panel in space (Miura fold). Origami can change the usual paper to nice items for tea time.
The shop manager, Ms. Kuriyama, showed how to make “Origami” basket!!
Black tea and confections in “Origami” basket.
Myrte sells tisanes of dried fruits and herbs. I tried to put in the dried fruits pieces to black tea. These pieces can add the sweet aroma of fruits (peach and apple) onto black tea. After enjoying black tea, we can enjoy eating the pieces. Relatively big pieces of the fruits provide nice texture.
Such program gives us to communicate each other, to exchange information and opinions, resulting in creation of small good ideas.
In this time, Myrte is going to announce for steady customers. In the other opportunities, tea farmers or the others will hold such program anywhere. If I know such opportunity, the information will be posted in this blog.
I hope I would communicate the visitors to this blog in such opportunity!