Kayla's Tea Journey

In November 2023, I came to Japan for the first time and I visited d:matcha for a tour (because I love Japanese tea!). I really enjoyed the tour, so after being accepted into graduate school in the US, I decided to take time off before starting to come back as an intern to pursue my hobby/passion for tea. After receiving an acceptance email from Daiki-san, I was beyond excited to learn the process of how tea goes from earth to cup. 

Coming from a biology background, being able to spend time farming in Wazuka to learn about the biology of tea was so much fun. Tea is a plant, and like any other form of life, is heavily influenced by its environment. Some factors are controlled by the farmers (fertilizing, pruning, weeding, etc.) and others, such as climate, are beyond the farmers’ control. While interning, I’ve gotten a chance to see firsthand how all these components come together to create quality tea. I’ve especially grown an appreciation for organic farming, which certainly takes more work! Some of my favorite things to learn here were shading and asamushi (light steaming) techniques, which are unique to Japanese green tea and Kyoto style tea. 

I came to d:matcha with so many questions, had so many answered, and left with a whole set of new questions. Learning about tea is not something that can be completed in an internship, it is a lifelong learning journey and this is what I love about it! I’ll miss our d:matcha family dinners, processing sencha at the factory with Hiroki, tea tasting with Misato, and so much more. Thank you to the d:matcha team for creating a wonderful space for people from around the world to come and learn with you!