Food & Drink May 16, 2021
Kagoshima struggles to capitalize on matcha might despite being top producer
Despite official figures showing the area has overtaken Shizuoka Prefecture in terms of production, it is still working on nationwide appeal.
Food & Drink | DESSERT WATCH Jun 6, 2020
Mister Donuts celebrates its 50th with a matcha-chocolate collaboration
by Patrick St. Michel
The celebratory “Matcha no Odoroki Series” brings together the talents of patissier Toshi Yoroizuka and Kyoto-based green tea producer Gion Tsujiri.
National Feb 16, 2020
The agriculture ministry has removed Aichi Prefecture's Nishio Matcha tea from its list of geographically protected local specialty brand names so its producers can be given the freedom to try more efficient growing methods. The removal of geographical indication (GI) protection, the first such delisting ...
Food & Drink | KONBINI WATCH Mar 16, 2019
Get your fill of green tea with Seven-Eleven's mile-high matcha dorayaki
by Patrick St. Michel
The latest edition in Seven-Eleven's line of dorayaki (sweet pancake sandwiches) is a massive matcha cream-filled creation.
National Feb 25, 2019
Parisian museum hosts Japanese tea ceremony and talk by grandson of former grand master
Visitors at a Parisian museum were treated to Japanese tea ceremonies and a talk on the history of the practice Sunday by members of the Urasenke school, one of the top three schools practicing the art in Japan. More than 500 people attended tea ceremonies ...
Food & Drink Oct 27, 2018
Will 'hōjicha' be the next Japanese tea to take the world by storm?
by Patrick St. Michel
Danielle Geva and Francois Mathieu are trying to spread hojicha (roasted green tea) to North America. Together, they founded Hojicha Co. in May 2018, the first company to specialize in selling premium hōjicha on the continent, and they are betting it will be the ...
Food & Drink | DESSERT WATCH Oct 21, 2017
Ginza Matcha Cake: Tokyo Banana ventures outside its curved-fruit comfort zone
by Patrick St. Michel
The folks behind Tokyo Banana have decided to freshen things up with the Ginza Matcha Cake.
People | 20 QUESTIONS Sep 9, 2017
Michael Drzmisek Sozui: 'Come share a bowl of matcha'
by Ayako Nakano
A tea master explains the comforts of a three-tatami-room teahouse.
Food & Drink | KYOTO RESTAURANTS Dec 11, 2015
Ippodo: Enjoying tea without tradition
by J.J. O'Donoghue
Japanese tea can be beguiling and bitter. And the ceremonial tradition that surrounds it can be disconcerting and dull. The staff at Ippodo, a centuries-old tea merchant in Kyoto, may not go in for the rigidity of tradition, but they take their tea very seriously. To ...
Food & Drink | KANPAI CULTURE May 8, 2015
Californian flavor conference explores green tea's versatility
by Melinda Joe
Making the perfect cup of matcha — the frothy green tea served during Japanese tea ceremonies — requires skill. The trick is to use a bamboo whisk to whip the brew swiftly with a smooth back-and-forth motion of the wrist. "Work quickly and keep whisking ...
Travel Sep 6, 2014
Kanazawa City: the architecture of tea
by Stephen Mansfield
One of the first things you see as you exit Kanazawa Station is a giant brass sculpture of a teapot sunken drunkenly into a mound of grass or, depending on your interpretation, tilting to fill a cup of the refreshing green brew the city ...
National Feb 3, 2014
British entrepreneur brings new twist to powdery soul of green tea
by Richard Sunley
A young British entrepreneur has devised a novel way to use the green tea powder known as "matcha," which has already become a popular flavoring in cakes, chocolate and coffees. James Shillcock's startup business is selling an energy drink that incorporates matcha, which he believes ...