The Story of Japanese Tea: a broad outline of its cultivation, manufacturing, history and cultural values

by Tyas Sōsen

The material for this book has accumulated over twelve years of active practice in Japan’s rite of tea of which the author has received full instructorship; two years of full-time employment at a traditional tea vendor in the heart of Uji, during which he studied for and passed the examination of the Nihoncha Instructor Association and received certification as accredited instructor; regular meetings with, and tea farm visits at the properties of skilled artisan tea manufacturers, encounters that have provided much insight in subjects as the struggles of tea farmers, the reality behind the manufacturing of tea, and the workings of the industry as a whole. In addition, for the past four years, the author has devoted his life to discovering the essence of tea through curating a special selection of tea, repeatedly talking to and interviewing tea manufacturers, gathering insider information about the industry, etc. in order to truthfully and openly make this information available internationally. The discoveries made, and the information gathered during such interactions is what constitutes the foundation for the material presented in this book, and it is with the wish to objectively portray what Japanese tea at its core and in essence is that this book has been brought to life.

Genres: Tea, Japan

219 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 4, 2019

Reviews

[SFK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learnt a lot from it, but would have benefited to have it proofread.

[Alex the Edgelord · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on Japanese tea, as promised.

Very informative regarding the tecniques for agricultural production of tea, and the fabrication of shaded teas and kamairi teas.

However i must point to 2 flaws that diminished my enjoyment of the book:

1.- The chapter on matcha is overly long, and bloated with historical events that led to matcha today. If you have not studied japanese history, this chapter is extremely hard to follow and quite unengaging.

2.- The author is an open advocate for natural/organic agriculture. This bias is open throughout the book and he sometimes shares pseudo-scientific theories. Again, most books on tea incurr in this, but to me it is very uncomfortable.

Despite these flaws i struggle to think of a better book to learn about Japanese tea, and Sosen is a good writer.

[Vanessa Bittner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of history and useful information. The case studies of young independent growers certainly involve the reader in this living tradition. The book would benefit from English copy editing.