Tea Archives - Where to Kim?

Buying and drinking tea in Japan: some unique finds

Kim — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Learn all about Japanese teas like Matcha, Genmaicha, and Sencha, including tips on where to buy unique and tasteful tea in the southern part of Japan.

Drinking tea is a big part of Japanese culture. The tea ceremony and the quality of the teas used have been refined to a very high level. The most well-known Japanese teas abroad are probably Matcha, Genmaicha, and Sencha, with the first one having the highest status. Matcha is what you get when staying in a Japanese Ryokan, while you will find Genmaicha or green tea powder in your budget hotel room.

Tea types in Japan

There are many different types of tea grown in Japan with a lot of difference in quality between them. For those who don’t speak Japanese, it will often be hard to get an explanation of what sets all these teas with fancy packaging apart. Though the price might be of some help there.

Matcha

Matcha is a high-quality green tea powder known for its health effects. This quality is achieved by shading the tea plants in the last three to four weeks before the harvest and by removing the stems and veins during processing. Matcha tea is prepared with water just under the boiling point. Whisk lightly with a bamboo whisk.

A different grade of Matcha powder is used for cooking and as an ingredient in Matcha Ice Cream and many baked goods.

Genmaicha

Genmaicha is a mixture of green tea and roasted popped brown rice. This tea has a nutty taste because of the rice. The rice was originally added to reduce the price of the tea, but who cares if it tastes great.

Sencha

Sencha is the most popular tea in Japan. Sencha tea stands apart from other teas because of its yellow-green color. You can also recognize it (and many other Japanese teas) by its grassy taste. The flavor of the tea varies depending on the season in which the green tea leaves were produced.

Hojicha

Hojicha is a roasted green tea with a nutty and robust taste. It is low in caffeine and is great for a cold winter day. Probably my favorite Japanese tea… is it cheating if I drink a Hojicha grown in South Korea right now?

Kukicha

Kukicha is a fresh green tea that is made of stems and twigs.

Gyokuro

Gyokuro is the highest quality green tea because it has a very distinct umami taste.

Sobacha

Sobacha is a tea of roasted buckwheat (‘soba’). This tea has a neutral taste (though grainy) and is a good tea for everyday use. One of the best places to buy Soba tea is the UNESCO World Heritage Village Shirakawa-go near Takayama.

Green tea powder

Powdered tea is readily available in every Japanese store. The best thing about green tea powder is that you consume the whole leaf and therefore more of the healthy substances. Plus you can make instant tea with it without brewing time.

Buying tea in Japan: some great finds

It is not always easy to find a tea shop dedicated to tea from loose leaves. When you look for tea in a grocery store or a convenience store, the tea on display is not always of good quality.

While there are tea plantations in Japan, these are often off-route (or not always open to visitors) and you’ll probably find it hard to include them in your itinerary.

That being said, if you visit the islands Kyushu and Yakushima, then I know some great tea shops!

Near Takachiho Gorge: holy basil tea

On your way to Takachiho Gorge, you can stop at the Gokase Tourism Association to visit a local farmer’s market. Not only does this shop sell many local fruits and vegetables, but it also sells many types of tea and other local specialties. The Holy Basil leaf tea I bought here is one of my favorites. It has a very distinct taste, making it unique among my tea collection.

Location: 98-1 Sangasho, 西臼杵郡五ヶ瀬町 Nishiusuki District, Miyazaki 882-1203, Japan

Yakushima: misty island tea

If you’re visiting Yakushima Island, then the teashop (有)屋久島八万寿茶園 is a good place to visit. They sell many types of tea grown on Yakushima Island, ranging from powdered green tea to full leaf green tea and fermented twigs tea. At the shop, you can try some tea before buying.

Location: 532-24 Koseda, Yakushima, Kumage District, Kagoshima 891-4207, Japan

Itoen green tea powder: airport last resort

Itoen instant green tea powder with matcha is very common. You can buy this one in many grocery stores in Japan, but also in malls in Kuala Lumpur, at Japanese airports, and from eBay.

So this is a great option for your leftover money at the airport!

Kagoshima: if the tea plantations are too off-route

At Birouen Tea Store in the Tenmonkan Shopping Center in Kagoshima, you can buy tea grown on tea plantations on Kyushu Island. While not all teas on sale have an English explanation, many do, making it easier to choose (or you can surprise yourself!).

Location: 5-2 Nakamachi, Kagoshima, 892-0827, Japan

Mulberry Green Juice

When visiting Sengan-en, the most famous Japanese garden in Kagoshima, you can end your visit well with a matcha tea at the Japanese tea house. But before you get there, you pass by some shops selling local specialties and handicrafts. At one of these shops, they sell Satsuma Mulberry Green Juice; a drink that is very good for your health as it is rich in minerals, vitamins and amino acids.

Location: 9700-1 Yoshinocho, Kagoshima, 892-0871, Japan

Green tea ice cream and chocolate

Nana’s Green Tea is one of my favorite modern tea cafes in Japan. Their matcha and hojicha flavored chocolates, tea, and ice creams taste wonderful. There are branches all over the country, including Tokyo, Nagasaki, and most big cities in Japan.

Location Tokyo Ueno: 6 Chome−15−1 上野マルイ 1F, Ueno, Taito City, 〒110-8502 Tokyo, Japan

The post Buying and drinking tea in Japan: some unique finds appeared first on Where to Kim?.

Buying Pu-erh and Oolong tea in Hong Kong

Kim — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 14:00:00 +0000

The five best tea houses in Hong Kong for buying Pu-erh and Oolong tea (and others). With an English explanation and the possibility to try before you buy.

If you like Chinese teas, then you will love visiting tea houses and tea shops in Hong Kong. Some resemble traditional tea houses and others are more modern and serve dim sum on the side. But Hong Kong is not only for teas like Pu-erh and Oolong: you can also find white teas, black teas, and flower teas in addition to the more recently hyped bubble teas, cream cheese tea and fruit teas. Shops selling bubble tea are literally everywhere.

The more traditional tea houses on the contrary are hard to find. This especially goes for shops where the hosts can explain the differences between the teas you can try in English. Read on to find out about my favorite (traditional) tea houses in Hong Kong.

1) Lock Cha Admiralty @ Hong Kong Island

This tea house is in the middle of a park on Hong Kong Island. The surrounding area and the interior contribute to this Lock Cha’s number one spot on my list. Lock Cha serves a great variety of teas, with my personal favorites being Rose Pu-erh and Selected Phoenix Oolong. You can order a variety of all-vegetarian dim sum and relax while refilling your teapot multiple times.

If you find a tea you like, you can buy it as a souvenir. Ask the host if you can try small cups of some of the teas that you’re interested in buying. As my haul is slowly disappearing, I keep wishing I had bought more…

Location: LockCha 樂茶軒, The K.s.lo Gallery, 香港公園地下層, Admiralty, Hong Kong

2) Li-nong tea @ Lantau Island

After taking the cable car up to Ngong Ping, your eye falls on Li-nong tea house. Here you can brew your own traditional tea. The hosts will gladly show you how to raise the teapot high when pouring to give the others in your company something to look at. There is a wide variety of teas to choose from, though not as many as at Lock Cha. The same goes for the snacks selection, but who cares, you’re there for the tea.

In the shop, they sell beautiful teapots and traditional tea sets. There are more types of tea on sale in the shop than you can order in the cafe part of the shop, but the hosts are perfectly willing to brew a small tasting cup of any tea you’re interested in buying. I bought a very good Yunnan Chitsu Pingcha Pu-erh cake with a deep and rich taste.

Location: 立農茗茶, 7W42+HR, Ngong Ping, Hongkong

3) Lock Cha Central @ Hong Kong Island

Lock Cha Central is located next to the very popular tourist spot at the Parade Ground and opposite the Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Arts. From the terrace and the indoor seating area of this Lock Cha tea house, you can see the interesting historical buildings around the parade ground. While the location is interesting, it is not very serene because of the many tourists in this area. Even though you can refill your teapot many times, you will do it at a faster pace than at the other tea houses. The hosts also looked rushed (in the offseason with only half of the tables occupied).

This venue doesn’t serve dim sum with the tea but does have beers on the menu. Lock Cha Central feels more like a cafe with a nice view than a tranquil tea house.

Location: LockCha 樂茶軒, G06-07, Block 01, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Rd, Central, Hong Kong

4) Ying Kee Tea House @ Tsim Sha Tsui

A small tea shop with one table where you can try out what’s for sale. Even though it is a shop it has its charms. A lot of thought went into the interior of Ying Kee Tea House. The hosts can tell you all about the teas they sell in rather good English. My favorites are Supreme Yunnan Pu-erh and Special Old Pu-erh Cake.

Location: Ying Kee Tea House – Tsimshatsui Shop, 75WC+P9 Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

5) Tin Tree Tea House @ Cheung Chau Island

This small tea house is situated at the popular Cheung Chau Island boulevard. They sell a variety of teas and you can even try some at the shop. Because many tourists are passing by this place, it might not be possible to try one of the teas whenever you like. What speaks in favor of this shop is that they sell tea in very small packages, so you can buy many different ones to try at home.

Location: 田株茶莊, 626H+66 Cheung Chau, Hong Kong

Bubble tea, cream cheese tea and fruit tea

Who doesn’t love bubble tea? (Alright, I know someone who doesn’t) These teas look so interesting and because there are so many mixes to try out you never know what your cup of tea is gonna taste like. Bubble tea equals adventure, an exploration of taste.

I have mixed feelings about the tea with cream cheese on top. When you choose hot tea, the cheese topping does have a refreshing effect. But I’m not a fan of the taste.

Another favorite of mine is fruit tea and especially the one I bought at a mall in Shenzhen. To normally brewed tea like Pu-erh or Oolong, large chunks of fruit are added that you can eat after you finish your tea. These are not the small chunks the cafes in my country put into a drink to give it a fruity taste, but rather a full-size dessert. You even get a fork to eat it properly. Very refreshing!

The post Buying Pu-erh and Oolong tea in Hong Kong appeared first on Where to Kim?.

Tea drinking culture in the Netherlands

Kim — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 14:00:00 +0000

Everyone who has ever visited the Netherlands will recognize this sight: people in cafes and restaurants ordering hot water with ‘plants’.

So what do you do when you can’t grow your own tea plant (Camellia sinensis): you create your own type of tea and make sure it becomes popular enough to represent your country.

‘Fresh’ herbal tea

One of the most popular tea drinks in the Netherlands is ‘mint tea’ (munt thee), meaning hot water with fresh leaves from a mint plant (served with honey). Upon receiving your drink you have to wait a few minutes before drinking for the minty taste. Whereas this drink started as a special off-menu order – every cafe and restaurant had it, but it wasn’t on the menu – this tea has now established itself as a regular on the menu.

It doesn’t stop here: ginger tea has joined the mint tea and is slowly establishing itself on the menu as well. The new off-menu order is: Ginger-Mint tea. If the cafe or restaurant has both, they are perfectly willing to combine them for you. Another popular variety: ginger with a slice of orange.

If you find yourself in a cafe more specialized in tea, they will have created their own varieties, like a cardamom, orange, turmeric and cinnamon infusion. In Rotterdam, you can try The Tea Lab!

Dried herbs, flowers and spices

Also popular among a niche part of the population (not for sale in cafes and restaurants) is tea of dried herbs, flowers, or spices. Bring out your inner witch (just joking) or herbalist and mix the herbs to optimally suit your mood or health. For example, I drink fennel or ginger tea when my stomach is upset, chamomile to feel at peace or a mix of horehound, marshmallow, thyme, and some other herbs when I feel a cold coming up. Who knows, one day I might follow an official course and become a real herbalist (instead of a semi-knowledgeable hobbyist).

Regular tea

As the Netherlands is a country that doesn’t grow the ‘real’ tea plants, there is nothing like ‘Tea from Holland’. So all green tea, black tea, and white tea is imported. That doesn’t mean these types of tea aren’t popular – on the contrary – but rather that you can’t visit the tea plantation and enjoy the taste of tea grown on Dutch soil.

Update: This has recently changed. I read in a newspaper article that someone has started growing Dutch tea (the real thing) in greenhouses. Check out localtea.com (Dutch version only) for more information on this Dutch tea.

Buying tea in the Netherlands

Teabags are sold in many varieties, from many different brands, for example, Pickwick, Lipton, and Clipper. Many of those are available in other countries as well. There are mixes of dried flowers (like chamomile) or spices (like fennel) without any tea leaves. You can also buy loose tea leaves from stores like Simon Lévelt and some supermarkets. You’ll find them in most big cities. If you are looking for more variety (say Oolong and Pu Erh) then you have to shop online.

Dutch tea

So what’s typical Dutch tea? The answer to that question would be ‘Mint tea’. You can easily create your own wherever you are. Just buy the herbs (or grow your own plant) and add some hot water. You can add honey for a sweeter taste.

The post Tea drinking culture in the Netherlands appeared first on Where to Kim?.

Tea plantations in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia

Kim — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 15:00:00 +0000

Watch the tea plantations while enjoying a cup of tea in a cafe overlooking the valley in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia.

Cameron Highlands is a popular retreat in Malaysia because of its moderate weather. With temperatures between 25 degrees Celsius during the day and 18 at night, this area offers a nice break from the 30+ temperatures the rest of the country often has. This makes the highlands a very good place for growing fruit, vegetables and of course tea.

There are two big tea plantations in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia.

Boh Tea Plantation

While the plantation itself looks more like wild bushes on irregular hills with trees, the real highlight here is the cafe overlooking the tea plantation. And with that I mean the view of the cafe from the outside with the tea fields in the background. I’m not saying the panoramic view from the cafe while you’re enjoying a cup of tea should be dismissed but rather that the building was very well designed to fit the landscape.

At the tea plantation you can visit the processing factory and learn more about the tea making process. Boh Tea is the largest producer of tea in Malaysia. The company was founded by Archibald Russell, who, though born in England, spent most of his life in Malaysia.

Location: GC88+9F Brinchang, Pahang, Malaysia

Opening hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 9:00 – 16:30.

Bharat Tea Plantation

This is the most beautiful tea plantation I have seen so far. If you can, plan your visit around sunset because the tea fields are simply stunning with the shadows thrown over them by the setting sun.

Bharat is the second largest tea producer in the Cameron Highlands. They have their roots in Malaysia and after initially being a tea supplier for other brands they now grow their own brand called ‘Cameron Valley’. From the outdoor cafe you have a fantastic view of the plantation in this highland valley. This tea is less inspired by the British and takes its inspiration from Sri Lanka and South India. Think of Chai tea.

You can go on a Plantation Walk to watch the tea picking process from up close.

Location: 15-16, Jalan Besar, Cameron Highlands, Pahang, 39000 Tanah Rata, Malaysia

Opening hours: Monday – Thursday: 8:30 – 18:00; Friday – Sunday: 8:00 – 19:00.

Buying tea in Malaysia

The teas I tried in Malaysia taste very much like English Breakfast teas, which is not very surprising as the Boh Tea plantation was created by a British person.

Most teas they sell are blends. As a tea lover I just had to buy all different loose tea leaf boxes on offer at the Boh Plantation. Plus a black tea blend with passion fruit. None of these are ‘light’ teas and because of that I mainly drink them on colder and rainy days.

One of the biggest differences with tea I bought in China, South Korea and Japan is that you need to keep track of the brewing time: if you leave the leaves in the water too long the tea starts to get stronger and bitter. With tea from the other countries the taste hardly changes, even if you leave it in all day.

Other farms in the Cameron Highlands

Ee Feng Gu Bee Farm

A small garden with honey bees. In the shop you can buy wild honey from the mountains and from the farm itself. They taste very good.

Location: GC55+GF Brinchang, Pahang, Malaysia

Cameron Highland Butterfly Farm

A greenhouse with beautiful butterflies, at least when I visited in January 2017. The reviews on Google Maps seem to be quite negative right now though.

Location: GC54+2X Brinchang, Pahang, Malaysia

Big Red Strawberry Farm

Go strawberry picking and eat fresh strawberries.

Location: F9WP+6M Brinchang, Pahang, Malaysia

Where to stay in the Cameron Highlands

I stayed at the Strawberry Park Resort near the tea plantations. This resort offers spacious rooms in a quiet area. The food stalls of Brinchang are within walking distance, though you can choose to stay in and eat at the very good Thai restaurant inside the resort. I also liked that I could eat Nasi Lemak for breakfast.

How to get to the Cameron Highlands

You can drive to the Cameron Highlands in about 3 hours from Kuala Lumpur.

If you don’t have a car then you can also choose to join a day tour via Klook from Kuala Lumpur or Penang. On this day tour you will visit both tea plantations and a waterfall, honey bee farm, butterfly park, cactus garden, strawberry farm and Aborigines village. You do have to get up early!

The post Tea plantations in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia appeared first on Where to Kim?.