Food Fare Culinary Collection: Japanese Culture & Cuisine

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Tea in Japan

Tea is one of the most popular beverages in Japan. It is sold at vending machines, hot or cold. Some of the common tea-types include:

Aracha: Raw green tea; contains all parts of the tea plant, including stems and leaves.
Bancha: Harvested from the second flush of Sencha between summer and autumn.
Funmatsucha: Powdered tea; similar to instant.
Genmaicha: Green tea mixed with roasted brown rice; also called "popcorn" tea.
Gyokuro, Sencha: Common green tea made from dried leaves.
Houjicha: Made from roasted leaves.
Kamairicha: Also known as pan-fried tea; leaves are not subjected to steaming process like other Japanese teas.
Kocha: English tea.
Kukicha: Tea blend made from stems, stalks and twigs; also known as bocha or "twig tea."
Matcha: Made from tea-leaf powder.
Sencha: Green tea made without grinding the leaves.
Sincha: The first month's harvest of Senacha.
Tamaryokucha: Tangy, berry taste.

Taking tea is a polite way to entertain guests. The correct way to drink a cup of tea is to take the teacup and return to your position in the seating arrangement. Place the teacup between yourself and your guest. After this, place the teacup in front of your knees and bow to the guest. Then take the teacup with your right hand and place it on the palm of your left hand. Turn the teacup to the right twice to avoid sipping from the front of the cup, and then drink. Finish the tea to the last drop. Lastly, turn the cup to the left twice and place it on the table in front of you.

Formal Tea Ceremony: Also known as the "The Way of Tea," the formal Japanese tea ceremony is quite elaborate. Even before tea is served, ceremonial preparation methods (chanoyu) are followed to the letter. There are also different classifications of the tea ceremony, including:

Chaji: Lengthy, formal service taken with a full-course meal, desserts and thick tea (koicha).
Chakai: Simple service often taken with a light meal, sweets and thin tea (usucha).

Thick tea" typically involves using the best quality tea leaves, while "thin tea" is of lesser quality (sometimes made from tea leaves that double as packing material). Koicha is blended gently until smooth, adding to its felt superiority. Usucha is whipped with a tea whisk.

The changing seasons are an important part of tea ceremonies. Those who practice the edicts of tea ceremonies pay attention to the seasons, which are broken into two elements: brazier (furo, May to October) and sunken earth (ro, November to April).

Tea is usually taken on tatami floor mats, where it is prepared by the host and served to guests. A more elaborate venue, such as specially-built tea rooms (chashitsu) might have display alcoves, calligraphic scrolls to mark the theme of the occasion, hearths built into the floor, various flower arrangements, shoji screens and separate preparation areas (mizuya). Some of the common equipment (chadogu) used to prepare tea includes bowls (chawan), caddies (natsume), linen and hemp clothes for clean-up (chakin), bamboo scoops (chashaku) and whisks (chasen).

Elements of the tea ceremony are also related to Zen Buddhism, which promotes harmony as well as the simple enjoyment of the event itself.

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