Podcast 047: Professional Japanese Tea Tasting

I’ve known Salvador Sosa for many years. We finally managed to record this podcast, where we talk about Tea Vendor. Perhaps you know this tea company by its previous name: International Tea Importers. It was founded by Devan Shah more than 30 years ago. I hope that you enjoy this episode. I certainly did.

While I have reviewed teas from Tezumi before, I didn’t know much about them. In this episode I interview David Lavecchia, who is one of the three co-founders. David is a practitioner of the Ueda Sōko style of the Japanese tea ceremony. Besides their company, we talk about teaware, single cultivar tea, and even incense.

I was recently contacted by Kanji Nakata from the Kamikatsu Awa Bancha Association. His English is quite good, so we decided to record this podcast episode. We talk about Awa bancha, how and where is it made, about the association, and more. I wish Kanji much success with his promotion of this rare type of fermented tea. For more content about Awa bancha, please follow on Instagram and Facebook.

A while ago I was contacted by Tristan Otto, the co-founder of Steeped. I didn’t know that this app existed, so I talked with Tristan to learn more about it. Soon the app will have a major update, and new features will be available. I have already downloaded the app

In this episode I interview James Johnson from Osadaen. We talk about their different teas, for example the dark tea yamabuki nadeshiko. This tea company led by Osada Natsumi is located in Mori town, Shizuoka prefecture. They have been successful in exporting their tea to different countries.

I was contacted by a new online tea store: Matcha Kanaya. Osami Ogai and the owner Tsutomu Sugiyama tell us about Shimada city in Shizuoka prefecture, their matcha, and how they are aiming to increase their organic tea production. They have a wonderful lineup of matcha with good prices. I haven’t tried their teas yet, but they look very promising. Facebook

In this episode I talk with Tyas Sosen about his 6 week tea ceremony intensive course. At the end of the course, you will be able to perform a basic tea ceremony service from start to finish. We also talk about the importance of the tea ceremony and why it is a worthwhile activity. If you live in a place without access to a tea ceremony school, this online course is a great option.

In this episode I interview Nicholas Leo, the founder of Matcha Moto. This store offers ceremonial grade matcha at an affordable price. I’m interested in trying it. I’ll post the review as soon as I receive the sample. Use the discount code PODCAST and get 15% off.

In this episode I interview Oscar Brekell. He explains how professional tea tasting is done in Japan and why its goal is not the same as that of a tasting done by a tea enthusiast. Even if you are not a tea professional, Oscar shares some tips that you can apply at home. Be sure to check out Senchaism, which is Oscar’s online store of single cultivar sencha.

In this episode I interview Michael Hemling, a tea and water sommelier. I didn’t know that there was so much variety in the world of fine water. But the best thing is that it can be paired with tea for an even better experience. Michael tells us which types of waters are best suited for tea and why. His blog is Man With a Mug. In this link you can see a series of videos from Michael about the relationship between water and tea.