Located near the Uji River in Uji, Japan is the amazing tea shop of Baisa Nakamura. During the Global Japanese Association Master Course, we had the honor of seeing Nakamura-san use his mini-processing equipment to make tea for us. I don’t think I’ve ever called equipment cute but these chibi-sized gadgetry were amazing and cute. They also sell nitro brewed tea.
This tea is great when brewed US style in a mug but it’s even better in a kyusu.
Mug brewing: Grab your favorite mug and metal infuser. Be sure it is one that is never used by coffee if anyone else drinks coffee in the place you reside. It can ruin the tea. The amount you add depends on the mug but standard is usually about 1 tsp. More if you like it strong. You can brew anywhere from 3 to 6 minutes. This is a tea that is safe to forget about for the most part. The flavor is so nice. Full of squash and redwood notes.
Kyusu brewing: Japanese squash. Kabocha. With just a bit of roasting but also like you bit into a bit of a fresh one. I picked this one up in-store but unfortunately, I don’t see it listed online. Also a bit of chocolate but more so on the cacao side. I really enjoy the homeyness of the wet aroma. Like walking into a nice warm house on a blustery cold winter day. A slight hint of fire mixed with a squash stew on the stove.
That shop sounds amazing!
It was amazing. If I ever were to open a tea shop I’d want to bring someone here that knows how to properly process tea and then open a shop like theirs…