January 2026 Newsletter
Monthly Newsletter: January 2026
Rediscovering Kyoto’s Uniqueness in Taiwan
In January 2026, d:matcha embarked on its very first overseas training trip to Taiwan. We explored tea gardens and tea houses in the heart of oolong and Oriental Beauty tea production. While we were inspired by the vibrant tea culture there, the journey ultimately allowed us to rediscover the distinctiveness of our own home: Kyoto.
Turning "Pests" into Aroma: A Contrast in Philosophy
The most striking discovery was how we interact with nature. Take Oriental Beauty tea, for instance. In Taiwan, farmers intentionally allow tiny insects called Jacobiasca formosana (leafhoppers) to bite the tea leaves. This triggers a specific oxidation process that creates a stunning, honey-like aroma.
In Japan, however, these insects are considered pests to be avoided at all costs. Their presence usually causes leaves to wither and harden, which is the opposite of what we seek for high-quality Japanese green tea.
Kyoto’s premium Shincha (first-flush tea) is characterized by its incredibly thin and tender leaves, a result of the sharp temperature shifts between day and night and our distinct four seasons. This trip reminded us that while farmers can manage the quality, it is the climate and natural environment that truly define the soul of the tea.
Celebrating the World’s Most Diverse Cultivars
We were also struck by the sheer variety of tea cultivars in Japan. While Taiwan has its own specialized varieties, the diversity we have in Kyoto, meticulously developed by our predecessors, is truly world-class. Seeing this through a global lens reinforced our mission: to share the unique stories of each single-origin cultivar and help you enjoy the subtle differences in every cup.
A Shifting World and Strengthening Bonds
Returning to Taiwan after 12 years, I was surprised by the economic shifts. Prices have risen significantly, reflecting global inflation and the weakening Yen. Yet, despite these changes, the warmth of the people and the incredible food remained constant.
Above all, this trip was a vital time for our team. Sharing these experiences together has strengthened our bond and sparked many conversations about the future of d:matcha.
We look forward to bringing the insights from this journey back to our fields and to your teacups.
Taiwanese Tea
Hello! I look forward to another great year in 2026. Recently, I visited Taiwan for a corporate training trip. While there, I participated in sightseeing and tours, and had a very meaningful experience. Among all the things I encountered, what left the strongest impression on me was Taiwanese tea. Taiwan’s traditional teas have a charm that is different from Japanese tea, which feels very fresh and exciting. Today, I’d like to introduce Taiwanese tea.
First, let me introduce the main types of Taiwanese tea:
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Oolong Tea (Wulongcha): Taiwan’s representative tea, with a wide range of aroma and flavor.
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High Mountain Oolong Tea: Characterized by a refreshing fragrance and a clean, crisp taste.
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Pouchong Tea (Baozhong): Close to green tea in flavor, with a light, floral aroma.
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Oriental Beauty Tea (Dongfang Meiren): Sweet and fruity, with a flavor closer to black tea.
As you can see, Taiwanese tea is different from Japanese tea in that it is rich in aroma, often with floral or fruity notes. Another unique aspect is the culture of brewing the tea multiple times, enjoying the changing flavors and aromas over time. When I participated in a tea tasting during the tour, I was particularly struck by how the aroma changed when the tea cooled from warm to room temperature.
Next, here’s how Taiwanese tea is traditionally brewed:
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Warm the teaware: Pour hot water into the teapot and cups, then discard the water.
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Add the tea leaves: Place the appropriate amount of tea leaves into the teapot.
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Pour hot water: Use water around 80–90°C (176–194°F).
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Brew: Steep for 30 seconds to 1 minute before pouring.
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Enjoy multiple infusions: Brew 2–3 times, adding hot water each time and savoring the changes in aroma and taste.
While the general process is similar to Japanese tea, a key difference is that Japanese tea is often brewed only once. I personally experienced this as a representative of our team, and I found Taiwanese tea preparation more complex, with several specific rules. For example, when pouring tea into small cups:
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Use the right hand for cups on the right and the left hand for cups on the left.
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If switching hands, do not pass the cup over the teapot; instead, bring it in front of your chest before switching hands.
Since I usually hold the teapot with my right hand, pouring with my left felt a bit challenging.
Field Management: Bud-Number vs. Bud-Weight
Bud-number type
This refers to a training method or tea garden in which the number of harvested new shoots is high relative to the harvest weight, and the weight of each individual shoot is small.
Bud-weight type
This refers to a training method or tea garden in which the number of harvested new shoots is low relative to the harvest weight, and the weight of each individual shoot is large.
Put differently, the bud-number type produces yield by harvesting many small new shoots, whereas the bud-weight type produces yield by harvesting fewer but larger shoots. Bud-number type and bud-weight type are opposite concepts.
Advantages and disadvantages of each
Bud-number type
As explained later, in bud-number–type gardens, new shoots are concentrated near the surface of the tea canopy, so shoot emergence is uniform and growth stages tend to be synchronized. When producing sencha, it is possible to obtain a large quantity of young, fine shoots, enabling the manufacture of products with uniform quality.
The disadvantages are that resources supplied to the shoots (amino acids, minerals, etc.) are dispersed, so internal quality is inferior to that of the bud-weight type. In addition, because the shoots develop fewer leaves and harden easily, the peak harvest window is short.
Bud-weight type
Because there are fewer new shoots, resources are more easily concentrated into each shoot, making it easier to obtain high-quality tea leaves. Since each shoot develops many leaves and hardens less easily, the harvest period is long, making this type suitable for long-term shading.
On the other hand, new shoots may also arise from the middle of the canopy layer, so uniformity is poor. While internal quality is good, uneven products are more likely to be produced.
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Bud-number type has good shoot uniformity, and even when harvesting at a relatively young growth stage, a certain level of yield can be expected. For sencha production, it allows the manufacture of tea with the characteristic milky aroma of young shoots and a uniform, fine appearance. However, under shaded cultivation—especially for tencha—its internal quality is inferior to the bud-weight type, it is unsuitable for long-term shading, and it falls short compared with the bud-weight type.
Bud-weight type, by contrast, benefits from concentrated resources and can produce tea with a rich, full-bodied flavor. Because shoots develop many leaves, shading can be continued over a long period until all leaves have unfolded, making it suitable for tencha and gyokuro. However, because shoot uniformity is poor, harvesting at an early growth stage leads to a marked decline in yield and uneven tea, making it unsuitable for sencha.
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Controlling bud-number type and bud-weight type
The factor that distinguishes bud-number type from bud-weight type is the number of new shoots. Because shoot number and shoot weight have a negative correlation, they can be controlled by increasing or decreasing the number of branches that serve as the origin of new shoots.
Tea cultivation involves repeated pruning. Pruned tea plants branch out, and by repeating this process, the number of branches increases. As branch numbers increase, a dense leaf layer forms at the surface of the tea canopy. Light does not reach the middle of the canopy, and fine new shoots grow only from the surface, resulting in a bud-number–type garden. Tea gardens that are simply harvested repeatedly tend to become bud-number–type.
For this reason, a practice called nakagiri (medium pruning) is carried out. Nakagiri involves cutting back branches to a lower position by tracing back their branching points, removing excessively branched growth and suppressing extreme increases in shoot number. The frequency of this medium pruning controls the number of new shoots.
If a garden becomes excessively skewed toward either bud-number type or bud-weight type, quality and yield will decline. It is important to properly manage the balance between shoot number and shoot weight according to the type of tea being produced.
The Flow of a Tea Gathering: Guest Etiquette in the Tea Ceremony
Last month, I talked about the order and roles of guests in the tea ceremony. This month, I will briefly explain the actual flow of a tea gathering.
This time, I will describe the case where there are three guests in a regular practice setting. (The first guest is called the shōkyaku [main guest], the second the jikyaku [second guest], and the third the suikyaku [last guest].)
Items to Bring (even when attending practice in everyday clothes)
• White socks or tabi
• Folding fan
• Small tea cloth (ko-chakin) or paper ko-chakin
• Kaishi paper and a sweets pick
Entering the Seating
In the case of a four-and-a-half–tatami-mat tea room: Guests move by shuffling on their knees (nijiri) when receiving matcha or utensils from the host.
In the case of an eight-tatami-mat tea room: Guests stand up and move when receiving matcha or utensils from the host.
Once the guests are seated in their designated positions, they place their folding fans horizontally behind themselves. At this time, the main guest (shōkyaku) places the fan with the pivot end (the base where the fan is fastened) on the right side. The remaining guests place their fans horizontally behind them with the pivot end on the left side.
Greetings Between Guests
When receiving sweets, drinking tea, or viewing utensils, the main guest first greets the second guest by saying “Osaki ni” (“After you / Please excuse me for going first”). At this time, both guests turn only their faces toward each other and exchange a formal bow (gyō no ojigi). The remaining guests follow the same manner of greeting.
Common Steps When Drinking Matcha
The tea bowl is taken with the right hand, placed on the left palm, then adjusted and held sideways with the right hand. To express gratitude, the bowl is raised slightly forward and upward while gently bowing the head. Then, the bowl is rotated 180 degrees clockwise before drinking.
Receiving and Returning Tea Bowls and Utensils
When the host presents the front of a tea bowl or utensil to the guests, the guest goes to receive it, returns to their seat, and then begins drinking the matcha or viewing the utensil.
For thin tea (usucha), each guest goes to receive and return the bowl individually. For thick tea (koicha) and utensils, only the main guest goes to receive them, and when returning them, both the main guest and the last guest do so together.
When Drinking Thin Tea (Usucha)
As each guest returns to their seat with the tea bowl, they say, “Otemae chōdai itashimasu” and make a formal bow (shin no ojigi) before drinking.
In the case of thin tea, the term otemae is used because, unlike thick tea, there is no strictly fixed amount of matcha and hot water. The host prepares the tea according to the guests’ preferences, which is why it is referred to as otemae.
From the second guest onward, there is an additional greeting besides “Osaki ni.” Before drinking the matcha, the guest says “Goshōban itashimasu” (“I will partake with you”) to the previous guest, then proceeds to drink.
When Drinking Thick Tea (Koicha)
The main guest goes to receive the tea bowl, and once they return to their seat, all guests make a formal bow together. Since one bowl of thick tea is shared among all guests, the main guest drinks first. After finishing, they wipe the rim with a small tea cloth (ko-chakin) and pass the bowl to the next guest.
How to View the Utensils (Haiken)
Haiken is a precious opportunity to closely observe the tea utensils. Before viewing, the guest greets the next guest with “Osaki ni.”
When viewing utensils, the guest lowers their body until their hands touch the tatami and slowly observes them, or places both elbows on their knees while holding and examining the utensil. Depending on the item, it may be acceptable to turn it over or remove the lid.
At large tea gatherings, guests are guided in groups of a set number (such as 20 at a time). If too much time is spent on viewing, the event may not proceed smoothly, so it is recommended to keep the viewing time slightly brief.
Next month, I will explain in more detail how to drink matcha.
Roasting Genmai for Making Genmaicha
At the beginning of this year, I visited one of my tea teachers who lives in Gifu. She invited me to stay for a few days at her family home, and I accepted without hesitation. It had been more than a year since we last had time to sit down and talk properly, and this visit reminded me how quietly and quickly time passes.
On my first day in Gifu, she showed me how to manually roast Genmai using a Horoku to make freshly prepared genmaicha. The process required patience and focus. We roasted the Genmai slowly over low heat on a gas stove. Because the kitchen was used for professional cooking, even a small flame produced strong heat. To safely handle the Horoku, I wrapped my hand in a wet towel and moved carefully, paying close attention to each step.
As the Genmai began to roast, soft popping sounds slowly emerged. The kitchen filled with the warm and comforting aroma of roasted brown rice, a scent that felt deeply familiar and calming. In that moment, the act of making tea felt less like a technique and more like a quiet exchange of time, experience, and care. We mixed the roasted Genmai with sencha from northern Gifu and poured boiling water over it. After about 30 seconds, we poured the tea into our cups. The flavor was rich and grounding, carrying both warmth and depth.
I have previously used a Horoku to roast hojicha, but working with Genmai reminded me how a single tool can lead to many expressions of tea. Each ingredient brings its own character, and each process offers something new to learn. This experience reaffirmed why I continue my tea journey. Through learning, practice, and shared moments like this, I hope to pass on not only knowledge, but also the quiet beauty that tea brings into everyday life.
Cooking as A Form of Art
Lately, I have been thinking of cuisine more as an art form and as a way to express myself. In particular, this year, I am aiming to cook with both curiosity and creativity. I’d like to experiment with flavors and unexpected combinations, learn more complex techniques, and use ingredients that I am not used to.
Earlier this month, d:matcha traveled to Taiwan on a company trip. One of the most fun and surprising things I discovered was how tea is incorporated into savory cuisine. It inspired me to experiment back home. I made an Albacore tuna mosaic tartare with a matcha ponzu sauce, and it was so fun to use an ingredient I have every day in drinks and sweets used in a completely different way. I aptly called the dish ‘midori mosaic’, using the Japanese word for green.
This month, I have also been getting back into cooking some of my favorite cuisines. Although Japanese food is my favorite, I have missed the diversity of dishes I used to cook back in the US, so I made an effort to go out and find staples from different other cuisines I like, like Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese. Japan’s grocery stores can make sourcing specialty ingredients a challenge, which has turned shopping into a bit of an adventure. Trying new flavors and dishes here feels like a behind-the-scenes glimpse into cooking creatively in a place where not everything is at your fingertips.
Lastly, I’ve been trying to approach cooking more intentionally, for instance by starting from ingredients and thinking about how flavors interact rather than following a set recipe. I discovered that I really like how hojicha and earl grey combine, so I have a few ideas for new desserts I want to try out! This month, I tried new cooking techniques as well, making a beurre blanc and a tuile dentelle for the first time.
I’ve found that I often spend hours cooking just to eat the dishes in minutes. But truly, it’s the process I love most: the experimentation, the presentation, and the little details. My goal this year is to keep exploring, pushing flavors, and turning cooking into a true creative practice.
