On a sunny Sunday in June, I went tea picking* for the first time with my friends. Sayama is one of Japan’s three most famous tea regions*.
First, we picked tea leaves, searching for combination of one bud and two leaves. Being in the tea fields had a similar effect to forest bathing, making us feel very refreshed.
Then we enjoyed fresh herbal tea made by the freshly picked leaves in hot water. Like wine, the flavor of the tea changes depending on the land and weather, highlighting the unique terroir of the region.
Lunch was a bento box using local vegetables. Also, we had Tempura made from the freshly picked tea leaves. It was a rare experience to eat the tea leaves in such a fresh condition.
In the afternoon, we ground the dried tea leaves using a tea mill. Since the way heat transfers depends on the speed, a consistent speed while turning the mill is very important .
At last, dessert time! I was familiar with making matcha, but adding latte art was a first experience. Drawing pictures was difficult, but think it was a good try.
I’ve been practicing Chado for a while now, this day of learning and tasting the tea was very fulfilling experience.
Where I visited;
Miyanoen
*Note: It was a special plan which we did both courses in one day. Usually, you only get to do either tea picking or the matcha experience.
*Tea picking, also known as tea plucking, involves selecting and harvesting the young, tender leaves and buds of the tea plant, typically focusing on the topmost shoots. The process usually aims to collect the ideal combination of one bud and two leaves, which is considered the best for making high-quality tea.
*The three most famous teas in Japan are Shizuoka tea, Uji tea (Kyoto), and Sayama tea (Saitama) .