茶 Tea

Tea is something very special to me.  My parents are both avid tea drinkers, and in some ways the threshold of adulthood was when I started putting less sugar in my tea than either of my parents did.  But while they are partial to black tea, I have just begun to explore the vast variety of tea types.  In particular, I have discovered the wonder that is green tea.

Tea Gifted by an Aunt's Colleague

Green tea, just like black tea, comes from the tea plant.  The leaves are harvested, and dried.  In black tea, the leaves are then fermented, a process that gives the leaves their dark color.  Oolong tea is partially fermented leaves.  Green tea is not fermented at all.  Herbal teas, on the other hand, are usually made from other plants supplementing or instead of the tea plant.

Tea Plant Model from Chicago Field Museum

Though Japan is famous for its tea ceremony, in which the bitterness of tea is contemplated, green tea is often used as a flavoring for other, sometimes very sweet, foods.

Green Tea Flavored Soba Noodles from Uji

Green Tea Parfait With Ice Cream, Dango, Jello, and Orange

I was lucky enough to go to Uji, a suburbs of Kyoto famous for its green tea.  Both the soba and the parfait were eaten at an Uji cafe which, like most shops and restaurants in the area, specialize in green tea.  Green tea need not always be fancy.  In the lower right hand corner of the following picture, you'll see bottled green tea right next to 'Royal Milk Tea'.  The other picture is one of my own tea pot as well as a bottle of tea.

Japanese Vending Machine.  There are a variety of potions, from juice, to sports drinks, to hot coffee.  The cans at the top come out hot.  There is a small bottle of tea in the green bottle on the left hand side of the second row, and the right hand side of the bottom row.

My Tea.  The pot was purchased at a 100 yen store.  The bottle was purchased at Mitsuwa, just outside Chicago.

Green tea ice cream, a favorite of mine, is beginning to show up in the United States outside of Japanese food stores.  I myself hope that green tea is gaining more popularity as it moves west.