Today we bring you yesterday’s news from Japan and Asia.
We spent a day on the farm and learned how much work a cup of tea requires.
Most people who grew up in Japan drink a lot of green tea, and our reporter PK Sanjun is no exception. But like many people who grew up here, PK has never made green tea from scratch.
Every supermarket and convenience store in Japan, as well as almost every vending machine, stocks bottled pre-made green tea. You will find a wide variety of tea bags in the cupboards of most homes and offices, and some enthusiasts will buy tea tins in bulk, but even in these cases, the tea has already been processed and packaged. However, starting from the field, picking tea leaves by hand and turning them into a cup of tea? This is a rare experience and an opportunity to PK through our boss SoraNews24 founder Yoshio.
"We received a letter from Itoen," Yoshio explained, mentioning the name of one of Japan's largest tea manufacturers and the company behind the popular Oi Oicha green tea brand. "They invite you to make tea with freshly picked leaves. Their representative, Katsuno, will meet you at the farm."
In this way, PK went to Sayama Town, Saitama Prefecture. When he walked to the office facilities of the farm to meet Katsano, he imagined that anyone working in a tea factory would have a delicate and gentle atmosphere like a perfectly brewed cup of tea. Near the entrance, he found a lonely figure waiting for him in front of him, and shouted: "Katsuno-kun! Hello, Katsuno-kun! It's me, SoraNews24's PK Sanjun!"
However, Katsuno responded to this greeting with a stern expression.
▼ He remained completely silent, and there was more "ocha" ("tea" in Japanese) on his shirt than he said.
"So, uh, should we start, classmate Katsano?" PK asked, Katsano nodded and followed him to the field. The Sayama Plant is one of the many tea gardens managed by Itoen in Japan, helping to shorten the delivery route and ensure the freshness of its products.
A farmer explained to the PK how to pick the leaves, emphasizing that they should be careful to pick one leaf at a time to avoid unnecessary tears or scratches. This is PK's first time picking tea. The soft and pliable texture of the palm of his hand left a deep impression on him, and it seemed to have a freshness within reach. However, because he was not used to working in the field, it didn't take long before his lower back began to ache. However, he was very proud of his hands being covered with leaves, hoping that it would be worth a few pots of tea.
▼ This incident gave him his father's instincts, and he began to regard them as his precious tea children.
However, this was the first time PK realized that he had a lot to learn. "It might be enough to make a cup," explained his farmer instructor. "Compared with the weight of raw leaves, after processing and preparing for brewing, you end up with only about one-fifth of the weight."
So back to the picking stage, PK regained gratitude for the hard work of Japanese tea farmers.
In the end, Katsuno nodded, indicating that PK had chosen enough. Since the tea leaves begin to oxidize in the open air soon after being picked, they need to be processed immediately before the taste disappears, so Katsuno led PK to the next step from the tea field to the cup.
There are electric stoves and microwave ovens in the processing room. "Is this really all the equipment I need, Katsano?" PK asked, and he nodded again, "made tea." Then he asked PK to figure out his own solution.
PK knows that the water in the tea must be removed before steeping the tea, so he starts with a hot plate. Considering that scorching them would make them smelly, he used a low-calorie setting. As the leaves warmed, the plate began to emit a pleasant tea fragrance, but he noticed that they were not really dry, so he decided to put the leaves in the microwave for three minutes.
For a long time, Katsano watched with a cold expression.
When PK took the leaves out of the microwave, they were nice and dry. Then, he grabbed a mortar and gently squeezed the leaves into small pieces, and his original PK tea could be brewed!
how is the taste?
bad. Really, really, terrible. It smells very good, but the taste is mercilessly bitter, very pungent, and almost impossible to drink.
PK's shoulders hung down in disappointment, and at the same time he felt guilty for the despicable fate of his tea baby. At this moment, Shengye walked in with a batch of tea leaves he had prepared.
In stark contrast to his rude expression, Katsuno paced gracefully in the teapot, soaked them, and poured a cup for PK.
Tea should be like this.
The tea taste is fresh and smooth, and it balances the unique astringency and sweetness of Japanese green tea. Katsuno's tea comes from leaves picked from the same land as PK, which shocked PK. It tastes so different from his own sub-standard batch of tea. Katsuno's tea is so delicious, PK believes it can put a smile on anyone's face...
"What's the difference, Katsano?" Asked PK. This is all about the way the leaves are handled after picking, he explained. Katsuno started using a microwave oven, wrapping tea leaves in plastic to basically steam them, and then heating them for one minute instead of three minutes, because overheating them would produce too much bitterness.
Next, the leaves should be placed flat on paper towels and cooled with a paper fan, just like you would cool yourself in a hot afternoon, to help remove more water. Then it's time to put them on the hot plate and set on a small fire.
However, you don't want to leave the leaves on the hot plate for too long. After heating, Katsuno said that he would put them back on a paper towel and knead gently. This process is called chamomi or "tea massage" in Japanese. This helps to give full play to its flavor and aroma, you should cycle between the hot plate heating and the tea massage about 10 times. When finished, let the leaves dry for another 10 minutes before they can be soaked, preferably in hot water at 80 degrees Celsius (176 degrees Fahrenheit).
PK is surprised, not only because of how much effort it takes to make a truly good cup of tea, but also because the previously taciturn Katsuno has become talkative. "Katsuno-san, is there anything that made you unhappy before?" PK asked, thinking that it might be his lack of knowledge of tea production that offended the representative of Itoen.
"Well, actually I just think it's weird that you keep calling me Katsuno because my name is Kakuno," he revealed.
PK was embarrassed by his rudeness. "I'm very sorry about that," he said, and Kadono seemed to forgive him. He even gave PK a bag of freshly picked tea leaves to take home, and explained that Itoen is currently launching a promotion. If you follow their official Twitter account, repost the tweet below and fill in the form here, You will enter a lottery to win your own bag.
お～い❗️Pick up みたての生の叶からお茶の作る「鮮度体験キット"ο24名の#茶レンジャタタタタタタタタタタタタタタタタタタタタタタしままままタタタタタタタタタまままままタタタタタタタタまままままますままままキット フォームに入力https://t.co/5MF6xxKWOW ⌛️Associated cut: 7/4 23:59#茶畑エクスプレス#とどけお茶のチカラ pic.twitter.com/GXXX1LYo0U
Nevertheless, PK felt a little guilty about his name messing up the whole journey home until he remembered...
...The exact words our boss told him:
"Their representative, Katsuno, will pick you up at the farm."
"Their representative, Katsuno, will pick you up at the farm."
So on this day, PK learned two things. One: Every time you drink a good cup of tea, there will be a lot of work to do. Second: When Yoshio gives you a job assignment, you may want to double-check the details.
Source: Itoen Tea Event Website Image ©SoraNews24 ● Do you want to know the latest articles as soon as SoraNews24 is published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! [Japanese reading]
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