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On 21st Feb., Makinohara city and local tea stores held a wonderful tea event, named as “Makinohara concerto” in a traditional temple “Sekiyuin”. In this event, participants enjoyed a variety of teas and sweets provided by local companies, exhibition of … Continue reading
This gallery contains 17 photos.
Agricultural Artifacts Festival in Food-Capital of Japan was held on 20th Feb., in Twinmesse Shizuoka. Multihued agricultural artifacts created colorful scenes. In front of the entrance, bouquets of flowers welcomed us! Lots of people visited the booth for teas … Continue reading
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In Shizuoka, teas are so familiar to people that high school students study teas-related products and tea industry based on their curiosity. Besides local banks support their research activities. On 18th Feb., Shimada Shinkin Bank held the annual conference to … Continue reading
This gallery contains 7 photos.
Lately, cold days and warm days come alternately. Tinge around tea plantations tinging the doorbell of spring as follows. Japanese plums “Ume” around tea plantations. Beyond the plums, tea farmers were going to their own tea plantations. In the winter … Continue reading
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On the way back to the office or my home, nice scenes come into my view in night times. I’d like to show such nice scenes for you. Creeping night on the tea plantation. The moon on the top of … Continue reading
This gallery contains 7 photos.
On 4th Feb., a workshop was held in order to sophisticate not only the technique of black tea production but also the ability to express how good one’s black tea is. Kanazawa Yuu made some lecture for 10 participants. She … Continue reading
On 25th Jan, two notables writing various articles for teas visited and enjoyed Makinohara distinct.
Fortunately, I could have the pleasure of sharing some time to go to each place along with them.
In World Tea Museum “Ocha No Sato”, we saw a variety of items related to tea cultivation, production, processing, ceremony, culture etc.
Mr. Richardson explained about tea culture in Mongolia.
From the left side, Mr. Richardson, Sakano-san, Yamamoto-san, Steven, Ms. Hardie, respectively.
Mr. Richardson, “the tea maestro” as he say, is the owner of “Elmwood Inn Fine Teas”, writing a lot about teas worldwide. “Maestro” is derived from his former job, musician.
Ms. Hardie is one of the most prominent tea writers in Canada. We can read her posts in “The Daily Tea”.
Sakano-san is the CEO of “Soft-Lab”.
Yamamoto-san is the president of Katsumata Kaitaku Tea Production Cooperative.
Steven is a prefectural officer belonging to the division of multiculturalism.
Yamamoto-san explained about the miniature expressing tea plucking in the past time.
Yamamoto-san showed pamphlets illustrating “Ranji”, the special font of English described on the labels for the containers exported from Japan to foreign countries in the past time.
Beyond them, we can see the poster explaining about the traditional tea-grass integrated system so-called “Chagusaba Management”, which was designated as GIAHS (Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System) by FAO.
Various tea apparatus are exhibited.
Mr. Richardson told Ms. Hardie the mechanism of rolling machine so-called “Sojuki”, which is used for rolling and drying process to produce “Sencha”, steamed green tea.
We looked over the Japanese-style garden from the museum building. I felt “Wabi”-grace and “Sabi” elegance from the garden.
Beyond the garden, we saw a nice view of Ooi River and Mt. Fuji.
After visiting the museum, we looked tea plantation managed by Yamamoto-san.
Yamamoto-san told Ms. Hardie the status of tea plants in this season.
Fortunately, we could see the trimming by the machine, carried out by the colleague of Yamamoto-san.
Then, Yamamoto-san and his wife brewed his teas for us in his home.
Yamamoto-san brewed two types of tea, green tea and black tea.
The guests seemed to be satisfied with the teas by Yamamoto-san.
Mr. Richardson said that he could feel terroir.
I thought also and felt unique and original bouquet from each tea, as mentioned at the page of “My Sweet Ambers“.
The last place we visited in that day was Shizuoka Prefectural Research Institute of Agriculture & Forestry Tea Research Center.
In this institute, we tasted the newest type of green tea resulted from the research project named as “the third generation Sencha”. In general, Sencha has lower aroma due to steaming in its production process, however, this new tea has a nice and more abundant aroma compared with general Sencha.
The director of the center brewed “the third generation Sencha”. The person with yellow cloth is a trainee from Sweden, Oscar Brekell.
Ms. Hardie gave a compliment the color of infusion is so nice. The color of infusion is clear as shown below.
And then, the director of Tea Research Center and Mr Oscar introduced the laboratory, which is open to tea farmers in order to develop their technique and create new products.
Mr. Oscar explained each machine in the lab.
The prominent guests seemed to be satisfied to the program to visit Makinohara. And hopefully, they will come to Makinohara area repeatedly.
It was a great pleasure for me to communicate and go along with them. Hopefully, I wish I will meet them again in Makinohara.
In the end, I’d like to say “Thank you so much for your visit! And, May Teas Fortune Be With You!”
Tea has various polyelectrolyte, such as 4 types of catechins in green tea, pectins, polysaccharides, theaflavins and thearubigins in black tea, and so on.
We know these constituents determine tea taste.
In addition, complexes or aggregates of these polyelectrolyte could affect taste and mouthfeel of tea, in my personal opinion.
If laser light is applied to some solution which contain submicron size particles such as polyelectrolyte, the light scatters as depicted in some scientific blogs. We can see a red line of light scattering in the suspension. We obviously find the suspension turbid.
Tea infusion can also scatters laser light as follows, even though its color is clear as we can see through the wood grain of the table.
This means tea infusion contains submicron-size particles, although this tea infusion doesn’t seem to be turbid.
What are these particles?
I guess these could be the complexes or aggregates of tea polyelectrolyte.
Polyelectrolyte can aggregate by some mineral ions such as calcium, ferric ion, etc. and bind such ions making complexes. I think lower infusion rate of tea polyelectrolyte under higher concentration of calcium ion, as clarified by Sipro et al.[140]
I’d like to continue to post such kind of personal speculation.
[140] Spiro M., Price W.E., Miller W.M., Arami M. (1987) : Kinetics and equilibria of tea infusion: Part 8—the effects of salts and of pH on the rate of extraction of theaflavins from black tea leaf, Food Chemistry 25:117-126
World O-Cha Festival will be held in Shizuoka prefecture in spring and autumn 2016.
The spring festival will be held between 5/13 and 5/15, and the autumn festival will be held between 10/27 and 10/30. The details are described in the official website.
The overview of its program is almost prepared and the details will be arranged till the festival.
The festival has various programs such as the collaboration with music, garden making, flower, pottery making etc., tea tourism, exhibition of teas and the related products, tea ceremonies, seminars and so on.
It is not necessary to apply. Please enjoy freely.
Additional information will be posted in “Event” and “Guide for trips” pages.
And if you need more additional information, please contact the organizer by e-mail, whose address is described at the bottom of its official website.
(It is also possible to contact through this blog comment, I cannot guarantee to reply all comments)
Wishing you a happy and joyful life in 2016! And hopefully with tea!!
I hope tea and tea products would provide you many fortunes.
In Japan, the first sunshine so-called “Goraikou” has a special power to make us happy. Hopefully, I wish the sunshine through tea garden will bring you happiness.
In this day, the sky was so clear, resulting in so nice view of Mt. Fuji beyond tea gardens. It seems that the scared mountain Fuji empowers tea gardens!
Scenes of the dawn in the mountain recalled me a phrase in “The Pillow Book” by Sei Shounagon, an ancient poet in Japan as follows.
Such scene came into my view like below.
On the tea garden located the edge of mountain, I could watch that the color of tea plants surface changed from slightly dark to faint red.
The sky in this day was too clear for me to find purplish cloud tail over them.
The first day of 2016 provided so wonderful scenes!!
*As for the title, MTFBWY means not only “May The Force Be With You”, it does mean “May Teas & Fortunes Be With You” also, just in my personal opinion 🙂
I hope Shizuoka teas bring you a prosperity!