| As
more and more people sampled tea and experienced the energized
feelings from drinking it, more and more people wanted it. The
cost of transporting tea was high, and there was a long
time period for delivery. Delivery routes were treacherous and
transport was cumbersome. Other countries wished to obtain tea plants and grow them in their own region for easier,
quicker, and less expensive consumption.
Tea
was first brought to Japan by a Buddhist monk who had been studying
in China. At first it was consumed only by the Buddhists in Japan, to
help them stay awake
during long periods of meditation.
After
some research, the Japanese developed their own tea ceremony.
Proper manners and
protocols were strictly adhered to. The Japanese Tea
Ceremony took place in a small tea house in the garden. The
tea house was very simply furnished with in accordance with Zen Buddhist
traditions.
Nowadays
this ceremony may take place in a specially-designated room
within one’s home. Great care is taken in the preparation
of the tea, as well as the display of the utensils needed for
preparing and consuming the tea. (For more details about
Japanese tea ceremony, see The
Urasenke Foundation.)
 Teas from Japan
differ in taste compared to teas from China as a result of the
differences in growing conditions and the distinctive methods of shading and
cultivating in Japanese tea gardens.
Japan produces only green
tea, and they are mostly consumed inside Japan
because of their short shelf life. The tea used in the Japanese tea ceremony is called
matcha -- a green tea ground to a fine powder. This fine powder is
blended to a froth with hot water using a bamboo
whisk. The preparation is a key part of the tea ceremony.
Teas
produced in Japan
include matcha, described above; gyokuro, a very rare tea
that results from shading the tea bushes for a period of time in
May -- unlike other Japanese teas, it is produced only once per year;
and the unusually flavored genmaicha, which is a bancha
tea (the
last plucked, coarse, older leaves) to which roasted rice
kernels are added. Sencha, a fragrant and flavourful
tea, comprises about three-fourths of
Japan’s tea production and consumption. Varieties of sencha
range from low-grade commercial teas to superior-quality (and very
expensive) limited productions. Lastly there is kuchicha, or twig tea, which contains only twigs
of the tea shrub -- no leaves.
It
is interesting to note that every region or nationality has a
slightly different ceremony in regard to tea. Explore the world
of tea and enjoy!
Lady
Gayle is the Editor/Publisher
of
The Tea House Times
Celebrating a passion for tea, Victorian treasures, and
friendship.
(Not
sure how to prepare Japanese teas? Click
here for some tips.)
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