The Tea Maker’s knowledge is one of the keys to obtaining an excellent tea menu. These experts perform work which is sustained over time, during which they systematically identify, monitor and assess the suitability of the properties of the tea leaves from different origins, often on small plantations located in remote areas of China. The […]
The Tea Maker regularly visits the plantations, some of them tiny, located in countries such as China, India and Sri Lanka, in order to study and select the varieties of tea and tisanes which, by weight and infusion time, are ideal for preparing the finest flavoured drinks, in combination with other ingredients. With the Tang […]
At the Nanu Oya railway station, located about 27 kilometres from Sri Lanka, I am awaited by a rickshaw, a lightweight two-wheeled carriage which, on this occasion, is pulled by a young local. Once I am on the vehicle – a common means of transport in Asian countries – we set out on a journey […]
The name Darjeeling, a city in the Indian state of West Bengal, at the foot of the Himalayas, is derived from the combination of two Tibetan words, Dorje (thunderbolt) and ling(land), translated as “land of the thunderbolt”. On our arrival, Darjeeling reveals an interesting mixture of cultures, the consequence of the confluence of people from both Tibet and Nepal. While walking […]
By train, I am just an hour away from the city of Kyoto, in the Wazuka area. This part of Japan, ringed by mountains, has grown high-quality tea for over 800 years, acquiring real status as one of the most coveted and respected teas in the country. The different varieties of tea – over 300 […]
I find myself in the middle of the Cederberg Mountains, a vast region of South Africa covering 20,000 square kilometres, where the entire world rooibos production is based. What we call rooibos tea is an infusion made from the leaves of a bush native to this land. It is a tisane with highly beneficial properties, […]
By train, I am just an hour away from the city of Kyoto, in the Wazuka area. This part of Japan, ringed by mountains, has grown high-quality tea for over 800 years, acquiring real status as one of the most coveted and respected teas in the country.
The different varieties of tea – over 300 – to be found here are convincing proof of how well suited this area is for tea growing. The extremely limited presence of humans is likely to have led to the ideal environmental conditions for this crop. As a result, the absence of large urban areas means that, even today, we can enjoy the purity of the air, the water and the soil.
Contrary to what the neophyte might think, despite the large sizes of the plantations, the harvest is much smaller than the potential of this region. This constraint on the amounts collected is due to the fact that the pickers carefully select the leaves located towards the top of the plants.
I am absorbed in my thoughts when, suddenly, it starts raining. Immediately, to stay dry, we quickly go to the factory where the harvested leaves are dried.
In this area, the tea is prepared in keeping with a unique process known as “Kama Iri” or “cooking in the pot”, consisting of heating the pot with a full flame and then, immediately afterwards, placing the leaves in it, stirring them constantly so that they do not burn.
Once the boiling process is completed, the leaves are pressed to remove all the water from them and then they are put back in the pot so that they dry completely. Thus, as a result of this process, which begins in the fields and ends with this slow cooking process, we obtain the Kama Iri Sencha, one of the most popular green teas.
