Japanese tea was one of the hottest topics in JAPAN’S FOOD EXPORT Fair.
In the event, Japanese tea had the most exhibitors based on the higher demand for Japanese tea, especially for matcha. Not only matcha, various teas and tea products seemed very popular among visitors.
Tea companies in the United Tea Estates of Shizuoka exhibited their specialty teas and tea products.
Oyaizu Seicha exhibited and proposed various uses of their tea products.
Sasaki Green Tea Company exhibited various matcha and powdered teas.
The staff of Sasaki Green Tea Company said “Matcha Lemonade Powder” is the best recommended product.
If you are interested in Sasaki Green Tea Company, the introduction movie is available online.
Osada Tea Japan exhibited the organic oolong, black and puer teas produced in Isagawa region in Tenryu Tea Estate. Isagawa Tea Production Cooperative produces the crude teas for these teas and Osadaen processes to prepare the final products.
Japanese Puer Tea “Yamabuki Nadeshiko” is the best recommended tea!!
Kanes Tea Co., Ltd. has dealt with fine green tea mainly produced on Kawane tea estate, Makinohara upland, Kanaya. Kanes Tea has challenged the development of new and unique tea products, such as Hojicha ganache cubes.
In this time, they has launched “Pink Tea”, carbonated ‘Sun Rouge’ tea. The pink tea can delight our eyes and mouth!
Kanes Tea has also provided retailers with herbal blended teas perfect to each occasion for long time.
They recognize these unique challenges are supported by their sincere management of ingredient teas and tea farmers. I hope the cooperation of Kanes Tea Co., Ltd. and their contracted tea farmers will keep to make the fine tea products and successfully distribute them.
Sugimoto Tea Company exhibited their matcha and tea products. This tea company has been produced Japanese teas since 1946 and distributed their tea products in north America since 1998. The branch in USA “Sugimoto America” has distributed their specialty teas since 2005.
Maruyama Tea Products Corporation has also been distributing their specialty Japanese teas worldwide. Their sincere promotion of Japanese tea is awarded by MAFF. This company exhibited some grades of matcha and loose leaf teas. Lately the company has established the subsidiary “Maruyama Farm” to directly cultivate tea, vegetables and fruits. One of the mission statements of “Maruyama Farm” is proper management of local farmlands to avoid the increase of abandoned farmlands.
Ohkuraen is the tea company mainly dealing with deep steamed Sencha produced in Kakegawa tea estate. The distribution of their deep steamed green teas has been expanding gradually over the world through word of mouth, the president of Ohkuraen said. Now, the deep steamed green tea of Ohkuraen are worldwide distributed, for example, in Singapore, North America, Indonesia, Korea, Mongol, France and Swiss.
Their fine teas were served for attendees at the annual conference of World Economic Forum held in Davos, Swiss, according to the report of MAFF.
I was impressed with the finely milled powder of Sencha. Generally speaking, powder of Sencha has somehow rough mouthfeel. On the other hand, the infusion of this powdered tea has very smooth texture! I could enjoy the flavor of Sencha without rough mouthfeel. Mr. Inoue explained the grounding Sencha by cooled stainless mill could accomplished the smooth texture.
In addition, as indicated in Tokyo Tea Party 2017, it appears that Hojicha and its powder is gaining popularity gradually (or possibly exponentially).
Oscar Brekell supported the booth of Japan Tea Pavilion. I’d like to call him “Oscar of All Tea Trades”.
The Japan Tea Pavilion exhibited various types of Japanese teas. Oscar explained Japanese tea and related culture for visitors.
Oscar explained and demonstrated the best way to brew Japanese tea corresponding to tea type. In this day, they use the very rare cultivar ‘Kanayaibuki’. It has nice astringency and body, Oscar said.
Of course, ITO-EN and Harada Tea Processing Co., Ltd., Big Two of Japanese Tea Companies, also exhibited their teas. Recently the big two Japanese tea companies have been making great efforts to strengthen the relation with tea estates and tea farmers.
Harada Tea Processing Co., Ltd. has launched the single factory tea of deep steamed Sencha produced by Yui Daiichi Tea Production Cooperative.
ITO-EN has been progressing the direct contraction with tea farmers, resulting in 1401ha of tea farms’ contraction.
As proposed by many exhibitors, there are various ways to use teas and powders of various teas including matcha for multihued foods, beverages and confections.
Possibly it can be some kind of entertainments for business persons of food industry to image the variety of Japanese teas’ applications. The possibility of Japanese tea could be infinite!!