Breakfast this morning was yet another variation of soup, salad, egg, meat, pickled veggie and homemade breads. From all of our walking yesterday — my Ōura ring clocked an equivalency of 17.8 miles — I am famished!
Our group was asked to be ready to leave for the day by 9:30am. This morning we visited Tearoom Toka (298 Shintomico, Kamigyo Ward) for a seminar on the history, culture and aesthetics of Japanese green tea. We are greeted by Elmer, who was originally from southern Germany, and a beautiful Japanese woman. Elmer tells us the tearoom is like a laboratory for Japanese tea, housed in a 100-year old Kyoto townhouse. The mission of Toka is to foster new understanding and tastes, promote sustainable tea growing practices, and a shift in attitudes towards “the essentials of food and life.” |
After dividing our group in half, Gypsy and I and four others were escorted by the Japanese woman into the tearoom, where we sat at a six-seat counter to watch and learn the proper way to brew green teas in an earthen pot of freshly boiled water. Each tea, we are told, is special and how long it is brewed is unique to bring out the best of its character. We learn to brew their Sencha Cocoa tea — 4 oz of tea leaves per person is normally used (45 seconds of steeping) and for heightened flavor 8 oz of tea is used — and Hôjicha bôcha tea, which is a toasted black tea, the steeping time is only 10 seconds. Along with our tea tasting, we are served freshly made sweet mocha from a local wagashi maker in Kyoto — much too sweet and doughy for my taste.
Next, our group moves into a seminar room where we sit around a large conference table to learn more about the green teas produced. Brewing tea starts with talking to tea farmers. Because Toka offers a wide variety of teas, it has relationships with different cultivars from several regions of Japan, and grown and processed using differing methods. While fascinated by Elmer's sharing, my vision kept wandering to the beautiful courtyard garden that is visible from the conference room. |
We learned:
- All of their teas are grown organically — no use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
- The tea leaves are all grown in a single year and harvested once a year.
- The tearoom sits on a rich vein of groundwater that has been regarded as one of the finest in Kyoto since olden times. It is in this water that the teas we were served are brewed.
- Tea can be produced from plant flowers (e.g. chamomile) or from tea plants
- Camomile Sensa is a Japanese plant that produces smaller flowers and yields with a delicate flavor; whereas Camomile Asami is an Indian plant that produces larger leaves and yields
- Tea plants have a 60-100 year lifespan
- The difference between green and black tea is oxidation; both can be produced from the same plant. Green plant processing stops the oxidation process
- Stopping oxidation means destroying, through heat, the enzyme attributed to oxidation
- Oolong tea is best green/black whereby the oxidation process is stopped mid-point
- Iron Pan with tea leaves moving continuously for a more delicate flavor
- Steaming for 20-30 seconds and then pressing leaves and allowing it to dry for a “meatier” flavor
- Processing occurs within an hour or two of harvesting
- The best harvesting is generally in May
Toka is also starting to produce bottled tea. They spent almost 2 years in research and development before bringing it to market. The shelf life unopened and refrigerated is one month; opened, it last up to one day. We learned that the art of infusing tea is like taking a deep breath … the tea leaves unfold, the cells steadily and quietly open to the water, and the act of drinking tea opens our mind and senses to the joy of living in this world. |
Before leaving, we visited the Nichinichi Gallery that is on the upper level and one of the finest contemporary applied and decorative arts galleries. On exhibit were the exquisite lacquer boxes by Takahiro Yamamoto. "Tea and Lacquer Art" featured a wide range of boxes for tea, utensils, special tea caddies (trays) and plates. A highly accomplished craftsman, Yamamoto-san, was at the gallery so we were able to meet him and directly praise his work. We learned that he has always been on his own path, opening new fields of design and expressing using traditional techniques of urushi lacquer art.
Born in Sabae, Fukui Prefecture (1967), Yamamoto started his apprenticeship with his father, Hideaki Yamamoto, at age 18, and started to work independently in 1992. His work is both delicate and sturdy and has earned him a high reputation among collectors. In recent years, he has taken on the challenge of creating innovative expressions using rare beautiful woods. |
Famished, we took taxis to lunch at Shinshindo, a bakery and café founded in Kyoto in 1913. Its founder was a Christian who learned the teachings of the Bible and was inspired by the saying "Serve God and people through baking." Having a deep knowledge of the French language and French literature, he had a longing for authentic French bread; he is known as the first Japanese baker to visit Paris and learn about French bread. Upon returning home, he imported a German kiln and started producing and selling French bread. For more than 100 years, his legacy continues on.