The first cup moistens my lips and throat, the second cup breaks my loneliness, the third cup searches my barren entrail but to find therein some five thousand volumes of odd ideographs. The fourth cup raises a slight perspiration,—all the wrong of life passes away through my pores. At the fifth cup I am purified; the sixth cup calls me to the realms of the immortals. The seventh cup—ah, but I could take no more! I only feel the breath of cool wind that rises in my sleeves. […] Let me ride on this sweet breeze and waft away thither.

This organic emerald jewel of Matcha originates in the rich, fog clad earth of Uji – one of the oldest tea producing regions in the whole country. Teas from Uji were prized by the tea masters. This vibrant, expressive, silken Matcha is like sunshine rising in the tea bowl, and at once calms and rejuvenates. Dancing top notes of sweet green peas and lime. A hint of plums and cream. Crowned by emerald foam.

(and you can find our audiobook of The Book of Tea, recorded by your tea merchant, here) >>>

The post Matcha Ujicha first appeared on The Gilded Teapot.

If anything, this outstanding green shares more with the highest-rated Gyokuros than it’s fellow Senchas. Created from organic Yabukita cultivation in beautiful Kagoshima, the infusion coats like tender silk with a soft complexity surging with peach, sugar-snap peas, and a hint of lemon. A concerto of umami.

An artful infusion of deep, beautiful green. You simply must try it.

The post Sencha Kirishima first appeared on The Gilded Teapot.

Though Japan is most famed for its bright and brilliant green teas, we can be incredibly excited to see the developing trend towards fermented black teas. This organically grown Benifuuki has been developed from a hybrid of both Assamica and Sinensis tea plants, created in Kagoshima in 1965. And we are so glad they did.

These leaves may be a little dark and rough in appearance, but good lord their infusion is anything but. A bakey, hot buttered toast heart opens into a pillowy dream with notes of stone fruit. There is a simplicity in its expression that kept this tea merchant coming back for cup after cup.

Perfect with a little something to eat.

The post Black Tea Benifuuki first appeared on The Gilded Teapot.

This is a delightfully expressive Sencha with an aroma of cherry blossoms and gentle drifting sweetness. The leaf stems are deliberately kept within the tea, as it is these bright beauties that carry the notes of blossoms. A soft cup with a creamy body, carrying hints of mangosteen citrus and lingering green peas.

An ideal mid-morning ‘session’ green.

The post Sencha Shizu first appeared on The Gilded Teapot.

With leaves resembling long, deep green pine needles, this vibrant lime-bright infusion dances through the Gyokuro classics. A soft quenching green sweetness, clean and fresh with the hint of a dusting of confectioner’s sugar. The lingering green snap-pea aftertaste and aromas of the mountainside make this moreish rarity one to savour.

Due to small production quantities, we can only offer limited availability.

The post Gyokuro Hiki first appeared on The Gilded Teapot.