First flush teas in 2018 have been already sold in various shops, including cafés and restaurants. I could met a sweet cup of first flush produced in Shizuoka at a hidden tea café “Sarasara” locating in Mitaka city in Tokyo.
The hidden fancy café is covered by plants, so I wandered whether the house was the aimed one at first.
The menu of café “Sarasara” lists Sencha green teas and some confections.
A set of first flush is as follow.
The inside atmosphere is also very good. The finest cup of first flush and plants covered the tea house provided a serenity with my heart.
A light meal is also served in the café. I ordered two pieces of rice cake with grated Daikon radish and Shoyu soy sauce as a lunch.
The tea served in the café is deep-steamed Sencha refined by Tsukimasa, which is one of the prominent tea processors in Shizuoka. Tsukimasa is particular about the ingredient crude tea and refining process. The tea processor has a sophisticated skill of strong firing, so the lose leaf tea refined by Tsukimasa has highly mellow taste and roasty sweet aroma. The strong firing doesn’t necessarily result in the mellow flavor. In order to make the delicate flavor by strong roast, the ingredient crude tea has to both strong structure and rich nutrients. The duality of subtle properties, which seems to be somehow ambivalent, is called as “the tolerance to firing”, the technician in Tsukimasa says.
The first flush tea IS just the one, that has mellow flavor and roasty sweet aroma. I could enjoy the sweet aroma by smelling the tea leaves in Kyusu tea pot after brewing.
After brewing, tea leaves release sweet roasty aroma from the antique Kyusu.
At the end of spring, I could discover the profound tea café!!
Such excellent tea cafes seem to be hidden anywhere.
Please enjoy tea café wandering in Tokyo. Hopefully may you meet some fancy tea cafes.
< Shop information >
- Name : Sarasara
- Address : 2-20-9, Midonoyama, Musashino city, Tokyo.
- Business hours : 13:00 – 20:30
- Close : Thirsday and Friday
- Note : The communication in the cafe seems to be limited in only Japanese.