STiR coffee and tea magazine

STiR coffee and tea 17 K L O T H & K Ö H N K E N T E E H A N D E L G M B H K O N S U L - S M I D T - S T R A S S E 8 j SPEICHER 1 - D -282 17 BREMEN FON + 4 9 - 4 2 1 - 3 4 8 5 2 6 4 FAX + 4 9 - 4 2 1 - 3 4 7 7 7 2 0 W W W . K K T E E . D E M A I L @ K K T E E . D E IT SUITS ALL MERCHANTS TO TRADE FAIR AND QUALI-TEA ! JAPAN Fabled and Historic Tea in Japan Tradition tells us that the first tea leaves to be harvested and brewed in Japan came from the famous tea fields of Hiyoshi-chaen, Shiga Prefecture. Still managed today by the Hiyoshi Taisha shrine, the descendants of the plants grown from monk Saicho's original imported seeds are thought to grow. In a newer venture, specialist tea producer Akira Tatsuoka, who is now 62, built up and earned the trust of the Hiyoshi Taisha shrine, who then gifted him with cuttings of the potentially descended plants. He now grows them in Koka's Tsuchiyamacho district in Shiga Prefecture. After a long project growing a small number of cuttings for ten years — twice the amount of time that is needed for Japan's more typical tea plants — Tatsuoka has produced just 130kg of the fabled tea. He has named this first harvest his ichibancha, or first tea, which is typically made up of Japanese tea leaves of the first harvest for the year. Tatsuoka is honored to be producing this historic tea in a prefecture renowned for tea's introduction into Japan, and hopes to spread his unique offering throughout the country, as his ability to produce more of the tea increases. Black Tea Festival Owariasahi City in Aichi Prefecture in Central Japan has been trying to attract tourists or visitors with a connection to Owariasahi tea testival Prof. Fred Yoo, the Book of Korean Tea black tea. The city, with a population of 83,000, has 17 "Tasty Black Tea Shops" certified by the Japan Tea Association. The city now has the largest concen- tration of black tea shops per capita in Japan. To sustain its reputation a Black Tea Festival in Owariasahi has been organized since 2012. The festival promotes various aspects of black tea by deepening understanding, knowledge and experience for all age groups. City residents as well as non-resi- dents are encouraged to enjoy black tea and discover the charm of the city. The 90-year-old Japanese-Brazilian black tea producer, Elizabete Ume Shimada, known as Grandma Ume will join the festival for the third time. The main venue is the city's iconic tall building called Skyward Asahi on a hill, and tea bazaar, seminars, sympo- sium, attractions, take place October 22, 2017. The organizing committee anticipates 5,000 or more visitors not only from Aichi but also from other prefectures. Learn more: http://teafes.com/ KOREA Korean Tea on the World Stage The World Tea Expo has always been one of the greatest annual hubs for the international tea community, and this year we experienced a world first; Professor Fred Yoo, author of the Book of Korean Tea, presented South Korea's beautiful tea offerings together with four Korean tea farmers, who showcased their own teas at the US event. We consistently see beautiful, high-quality, and organic tea being produced in Korea, however their global market saturation is relatively low. Presentations like this are the founding steps for cementing Korea's position as a worldwide tea exporter and a producer of excellent tea. Patrons were given the opportunity to taste a variety of different teas

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