Lately tea shops highly-motivated to improve their services cooperatively have started the service to fill “Tea To Go” to our own bottle. They serve teas in some ways, such as brewing by Kyusu tea pot, putting tea bag and using powdered teas. Usually they put some pieces of ice to keep the temperature of tea infusion lower and prevent tea infusion from changing its color to brown.
An example of “Tea To Go” service in Kishuen. This tea shop serves tea brewed using Kyusu tea pot.
Own tea bottle enable us to visit various places with own favorite tea. The service for “Tea to Go” provides us with opportunities not only to fill our bottle but also to meet new taste. It is recommended to try new shops serving “Tea to Go” in your trips, which could provide you with nice meet to new flavors.
I’d like to share some tea shops serving “Tea To Go” in Japan.
(1) Kishuen Tea Shop in Aizu Wakamatsu city
Kishuen is the tea shop located on the way to Aizu Wakamatsu Castle from Aizu Wakamatsu station.
This tea shop seems to put its significance on the service for local people. Corresponding to the preference of local people, this tea shop refines crude tea and adjust the final flavor by blending and roasting.
This tea shop brews “Tea To Go” using Kyusu tea pot, which provides rich umami and bright green color of infusion with fresh green aroma.
The appearance of loose leaf tea for “Tea To Go” service. What a nice deep steamed Sencha!
Kishuen pours slightly hot water for brewing Sencha.
Kishuen serves “Tea To Go” brewed using Kyusu tea pot.
< Information of Kishuen >
- Address : Omachi 1-1-55, Aizu Wakamatsu city, Fukushima prefecture.
- Access : Approx. 10 minutes walk to south direction along with “Noguchi Hideo road” from the east gate of Aizu Wakamatsu Station.
- Hours : 10:00 – 18:00.
- Holiday : Wednesday and 3rd Sunday in every month.
(2) Tafu Koshunen
This tea shop, located in Osaka prefecture, is elected as the best shop for “Tea To Go”. Tafu Koshunen lines more than 10 types of tea up for the service as shown in the picture below. This tea shop uses tea bag for “Tea To Go”, putting it into our own bottle and serving hot water and finally putting some pieces ice to keep infusion cold.
Menu of “Tea To Go” of Tafu Koshun-en.
< Information of Tafu Koshunen >
- Address : 5 Chome-2-5 Imafukunishi, Joto Ward, Osaka city, Osaka Prefecture
- Access : Approx. 10 minutes walk to North direction from along with Route 1 Gamo Yonchome Station on Osaka Metro Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi line.
- Hours : 9:00 – 18:00 from Mon. to Sat., 10:00 – 18:00 on Sun. or National holidays.
- Holiday : 1/1 – 1/4.
(3) Seifu-en
This tea shop sells various teas and tea confections in front of Nishi Ogikubo Station on JR Chuo line in Tokyo. Seifu-en prepares cold-brewed tea using the “filter-in bottle”.
The owner selects one of the loose leaf tea lined up on the shop for the cold-brewed tea every week. When I visited, the owner served the Sencha named as “Seigyoku”, which consists of loose leaf teas produced in Honyama tea estate and Mori tea estate. Both tea estate locates on mountainside, resulting in highly aromatic Sencha. So the tea served in Seifu-en had fresh green aroma and sweet note with slightly yellowish green color of infusion.
< Information of Seifu-en >
- Address : Ground floor of Bellfort Nishiogi Ekimae, Nishiogi Kita 3-19-3, Suginami ward, Tokyo
- Access : Approx. 1 minute from the north gate of Nishiogikubo Station on JR Chuo line.
- Hours : 9:00 – 22:00
- Holiday : Basically opens every day. Sometimes closes irregularly.