May 31, 2012

Spring Teas at Majesteas!


I had a great Saturday afternoon last week at Majesteas. Nothing beats sleeping in, small lunch and then a few hours of stories and tea.
     I was very glad that the turn out was intimate, more focus on the tea.
     The set of teas Robert brought back was to die for, especially the Purple Puerh. That which I need to go back for as I did not grab it last weekend.


    I did end up purchasing a set of the springs teas (no Puerh) and I am very glad I have it.
  The teas we had (hopefully in order) were : Jing Ping (Red Tea), Yin Jun Mei (Red Tea), Dragonwell, Bi Lo Chun and Silver Needle. In the set they also included Spring Mist which I got to try earlier this year. I took it to Tea Sommelier class in a glass tumbler, used 60-70 degree water, and it was excellent even after a street car ride to George Brown College. I am very pleased with it as it was not bitter at all when I sat down to enjoy it.

 
  This coming Saturday is when I booked to have a tasting at Tao Tea Leaf with two friends. I will try to post a follow up a few days after to that I can gather my thoughts and drink what I end up with. Both shops are part of The Tea Guild of Canada.  Please support your local shops!
 


SHARE:

May 30, 2012

Tea break

   I recently attained a travel gaiwan set. After playing with it at home, I brought it to work. With the weather being as nice as it has been I did not want to pass up this opportunity.
     I filled up a thermos with water and took it with me on my break. This particular day from the photo I enjoyed Taiwanese spring Oolong I received from Global Tea Hut.  It complimented my salmon sushi very well.
     
SHARE:

May 26, 2012

Tea in Media- 闘茶

       闘茶 or Dou Cha (aka Tea Fight) has become one of my favourite movies over the last few years.  The story is based on a myth which was created for the story line. Two groups created tea, Female Tea and Male Tea. Male groups tea causes aggression while the Female groups tea calms you. I am using Male and Female as those are the group names which came in the subtitles, the languages for the movie are Taiwanese and Japanese (light kansai-ben).
    After the two groups are introduced it brings up that a man from Japan is learning from the Female Tea group, to sum it up the two groups fight because of what the student says to a member of the Male Tea group.
             A curse is in place which sets the tone for the rest of the movie. Break the curse by beating the Male Tea descendant. The curse itself though was placed on all three members. It causes a lot of turmoil for the characters.
         My favourite character is quite minor, Lu Yu pops up every now and then and is event he narrator for the little myth. Very cute overall.  The best part of the movie is at the end where you get to see the predecessor of matcha being made by two characters while another is making it as it has been established to date.
      I highly suggest this movie, some of  it seems a little "dopey" but watching how everyone makes tea is worth it.

SHARE:

May 9, 2012

Kimono

As part of my Chanoyu education I have been practising the art of putting on kimono (kitsuke).  Kimono today was the end result of the kosode from the Kamakura period. It started as an undergarment and evolved to its current form since then.
  The main part I find that helps me in Chanoyu is the obi. It keeps my back straight and prevents me from slouching over. There are many different ways to tie the obi. Some are meant for a particular age group or time in ones life.  For these images I am wearing a Michiyuki, a "rain coat". I decided to wear it as it was a bit chilly out, it did the trick.
      For kimono it is traditional to wear tabi socks which have a split toe to wear sandals. In the second image I am wearing 2.5 inch approx. high geta, they are a bit hard to walk in.
       I really enjoy wearing kimono and hope to share my kitsuke with you all here on Tea Journey and over at Split/Gender (My Art blog). Keep an eye out for random posts with kitsuke snapshots and a little history about kimono.


SHARE:

May 2, 2012

Do Matcha: How to make matcha

 
 A while back I was asked if I would like to do a review for DoMatcha. I quickly accepted and did not expect to receive not only a full can of matcha but a whisk and holder.
     I tried the tea a few times casually to take notes on the tea itself. Then finally  I sat down to do a final tasting(what you see here).
    I was impressed but the amount of froth that appeared on the surface of the liquor, it seemed almost thick. For a few moments I wondered if I had made Koicha( Thick tea) and not Usucha (Thin tea) by mistake, but I was proved wrong when I tasted it.



For this tea I used my special chawan from the AGO, purchased last year when they had Jackson Polluck and other Modern artist's work on show. I used the new chasen from DoMatcha and the holder for this set up.
        The tea itself has a very nice bright green hue and finely ground, there was no need to sift it. The tea itself was smooth. It had a cooked bean scent and tasted vaguely like brusel sprouts and finished with a dark chocolate taste on the tongue. It had a medium body for the amount of matcha used. Very pleasant. This has become my morning tea since its arrival.


    After looking at Do Matcha's page I found the following information:
 Certified organic by JONA (Japan Organic and Natural Foods Association), this premium, organic ceremonial Matcha is the purest and most sustainable way to enjoy the ancient Matcha tradition. Our DoMatcha Ceremonial Organic Matcha is produced in the Uji Region, in Kyoto, Japan where matcha originated over 800 years ago. (Makes about 25 servings.) $33.99 USD

How to Make Matcha

 ** Refer to images as reference
1. Warm up bowl and matcha whisk (chasen) with warm water. This cleans them and preps the whisk for use.

2. Place 2-3 scoops (chashaku) into the bowl (chawan)

3.Add in about 3-4 oz of 80 degree celcius water

4. Whisk quickly at the writs in a "W" or  "M" figure with whisk till frothy

5. Enjoy!

I am glad that I got to try this organic matcha. I try to keep a few different grades on hand (small quantities of course for freshness) so that I can change depending on my mood. This matcha is perfect for everyday Chanoyu practice. It has the right balance I look for in a matcha for this purpose.
     I look forward to possibly trying other matcha's from DOMatcha. I want to thank DOMatcha and Tiffany Picard for this opportunity to do this review.

For more posts on Matcha check out our Matcha Tea page Here! Enjoy~!





















SHARE:
© Tea Journey - Living beyond your cup | All rights reserved.
Blogger Template Created by pipdig