Nanaya Shizuoka

In October I had the opportunity to revisit Nanaya/ななや Shizuoka.  When I first visited the shop in 2015, they were one of the first to introduce matcha gelato in grades from lightest to strongest flavor.  Since then, Nanaya has opened new shops across Japan as well as expanded their product line and distribution.  They even offer worldwide shipping!

Since my visit, the shop has moved to Gofukucho-dori, downtown Shizuoka City's main shopping street which also happens to be part of the Old Tokaido Road.  The new location allows more retail space for a wide range of tea products as well as a small casual seating area near the front.

For this visit, I picked up a beautifully packaged seasonal tea and three scoops of delicious gelato: No. 7 matcha (the boldest), hojicha, and sweet potato.

Address:
〒420-0031　静岡県静岡市葵区呉服町2丁目5-12
2 Chome-5-12 Gofukucho, Aoi Ward, Shizuoka, 420-0031, Japan

Hours:
11:00am to 7:00pm
Closed Wednesdays

Cascadia Tea Festival 2025

The Cascadia Spring Tea Festival was held on April 11, 2025 in Everett, Washington. This was a successful 4th year for the small volunteer-run event whose focus is to connect with community by sharing tea and its traditions.

The festival returned to Forest Park, a lovely woodland setting, with vendors and focused tea tastings in Floral Hall. New this year were classes and the welcome expansion into Lions Hall which hosted even more tea tastings.

This year there was also a Tea Pet Licensing station and it was vitally important that I get my new tea pet, Beep, licensed by Osmanthus Tea Bunny.

Lions Hall Tea Tastings

Diarmuid Fahy & Sam Culwell shared several teas from their collection.

Ancient Tree Red (Yunnan)

Shan Lin Xi

30 Year Aged Roasted Oolong

Li Shan

Josh Brock (The Empty Tea Cup) was pouring a white tea from Crimson Lotus.

Yunnan Bai Cha

Gabriel Lukeris (Tea Dive) shared several teas from Japan.

Hojicha

Wakoucha (Shizuoka)

Kukicha

Thanks to everyone who made this wonderful community event possible!  I had a fantastic time!

Tea Review: Akishiage Shinshuncha (Nanaya/Marushichi Seicha)

Akishiage Shinshuncha/秋仕上新旬茶 (Autumn-finished New Seasonal Tea)

Nanaya/ななや/Marushichi Seicha
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Shizuoka Prefecture
Product Description:

Tea fields are cultivated using an abundance of organic fertilizer rich in animal protein and sea minerals, which encourages the growth of bacteria in the soil and makes the capillaries grow deeper, thereby strengthening the tea plants' vitality.

By the end of September, the temperature is similar to that of early May, making it a pleasant season to enjoy tea with a fragrance similar to that of the first tea of spring.

We deliver tea made from tea leaves grown in an abundance of natural bounty with a fresh seasonal flavor.

Enjoy the deepening autumn with some delicious tea.

Temperature: 175° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 1 - 2 minutes

The dry leaves have a savory aroma of freshly ground nuts and sweet grass.

The pale jade green liquor has an aroma of macadamia nuts, edamame and sun-warmed grass.  The taste has notes of nuts and edamame with a long and refreshing sweet green finish.

I purchased this tea during a visit to Nanaya in Shizuoka last November and I'll admit to being drawn to the beautiful, bright autumn packaging.  Happily this sencha more than delivered, reminding me of spring and freshly cut grass warming in the sun.  I prepared this tea by steeping it for 2 minutes followed by 2 1-minute steepings.  The liquor color deepened by the second steeping, and sweetness moved to the front by the third.  I especially enjoyed the refreshing finish that seemed to go on and on.  

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Fest PDX 2025

Tea Fest PDX was held on June 28th at the World Forestry Center in Portland, Oregon.  

The festival was held a month earlier than in prior years.  The weather was beautiful and the temperature was much more comfortable.  The outdoor vendor area was fully covered this year and there was a generous amount of space between each row so attendees could move more easily from booth to booth.  

This year I prepared in advance by checking out the vendors and presenters on the official website so I could hit the ground running, visit the booths I was most looking forward to, and take time to experience everything the festival had to offer.

Oregon-grown tea plants for sale

A presentation at the British Tea Tent

Tea eggs from Red Robe Tea House

Gateway to classes and workshops

There were musical performances throughout the day and I was able enjoy a beautiful koto performance by Masumi Timson.

Heritage Teas of Việt Nam with Anna Ye (Anne Ye Teas)

Anna Ye is based in New York and has been sourcing teas from Việt Nam since 2021.  While she couldn't attend the festival in-person this year, she was able to join us by video.  Anna presented a tasting of two teas harvested in April from old growth heritage tea trees, with the assistance of festival volunteers, and sharing information about the growing regions and tea farmers. 

Wild Silver Tips (Suối Giàng, Yên Bái Province)

Misty Highland Green (Tà Xùa, Sơn La Province)

Teaware in Residence, Shigaraki Japan with Jonathan Steele (Jonathan Steele Studio)

Jonathan is a Pacific NW-based artist who has been making pottery with a focus on gongfu teaware since 2009.  For this presentation, he shared his recent experiences as an Artist-in-residence in Shigaraki, Japan.  

Much of his time during the residency was spent in Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, also known as Tougei no Mori (陶芸の森/Ceramic Forest), and working with the Anagama kiln there.

We learned about pyrometric cones, a measure of kiln heat that deforms at certain temperatures relating to the number of the cone, and the variance between the cooler 9-12 cones preferred by Shigaraki Ware artisans and the hotter 12-13 cones preferred by many Pacific Northwest artisans.  Jonathan tends to prefer firing with higher cones which produce a glassier finish.

We also saw examples of Jonathan's work from his residency and examples of Shigaraki Ware like Kohiki, a textural technique where a water-heavy white glaze overlaps a contrasting clay. 

First Teas from India's First Farmer-Owned Specialty Factory with Raj Vable (Young Mountain Tea)

Raj Vable introduced us to Kumaon tea, its people, history, and the tea factory.

Kumaon is located in the Northern Indian Himalayas. Tea was planted there by the British in the 1840s and cultivation ended in the 1940s because the nearest ports were too far away to make the venture profitable. The surviving tea plants were allowed to grow wild until the 1990s when a government program revived tea cultivation in the region. From then, it took about 30 years to prune the tea trees back down to cultivation-friendly bushes.

While Kumaon farmers own the land and the tea plants, the harvested leaf has, until recently, always been sent elsewhere for production. Many people from the region, especially the younger generation and predominantly men, left to find work in the cities.

Raj founded Young Mountain Tea in 2013 with a focus on partnering with growers from Kumaon to process the tea where it's grown, working toward a model that supports the entire chain of production. The tea factory was built with funding from a USAID grant and was completed before the program was shut down, with tea production beginning in 2021. The local farmers, approximately 90% of whom are women, have partial ownership of the factory and will eventually have 100% ownership.

During the presentation we watched videos (also available on the Young Mountain Tea website) about Kumaon Tea including a look inside the tea factory. We also enjoyed tasting two infusions each of first flush white, green, and lightly oxidized black teas harvested in April from 160-year-old tea plants and processed by the Kumaon tea factory. Tea Fest PDX was the first public tasting of these first flush teas.

Thanks so much to the volunteers, presenters, and vendors for making this a great experience!

Tea Review: Yutakamidori Fukamushi Sencha (Charaku)

Yutakamidori Fukamushi Sencha
Charaku
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Kagoshima Prefecture, Hioki
Product Description:

This organic sencha has a light grassy aroma with notes of pepper and citrus. It has a good balance of shibumi (astringency) and amami (sweetness) with shibumi diminishing and amami increasing in 2nd and 3rd infusions.

The city of Hioki is on the western coast of Kagoshima, facing out towards the East China Sea. It is a recently formed city created by the mergers of the small towns of Fukiage, Higashiichiki, Hiyoshi, and Ijuuin. Tea farmers there grow a variety of cultivars, including this fine example of Yutakamidori.

Temperature: 175° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 30 seconds - 1.5 minutes

The dry leaves have a sweet green aroma with notes of nuts and nut shells.

The liquor is pale jade green with an aroma of nuts and sun-warmed grass.  The taste is smooth and sweet with notes of nuts and edamame followed by a refreshing sweet green finish.

For the purpose of this review, I steeped this tea for 1.5 minutes, then 1 minute, and then 30 seconds.  The first infusion was pleasantly smooth and refreshing.  The second and third infusions were particularly delicious, bringing out a brighter green liquor color, a thicker mouth feel, more edamame notes, and much longer sweet green finish. 

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Asahina Karigane (Charaku)

Asahina Karigane
Charaku
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Shizuoka Prefecture, Okabe City, Asahina Valley
Product Description:

The Asahina Valley in Okabe City produces fine shaded teas such as Gyokuro and Kabuse Sencha. Karigane refers to kuki-cha (stem tea) made specifically from the stems of Gyokuro, whereas "kukicha" may refer to stem tea from sencha, or houjicha (houji-kukicha.) Infuses to a deep golden-green in the first infusion. The flavor and aroma are grassy with a slightly sweet finishing note. Full-bodied, but with very low astringency and lower caffeine content than sencha or gyokuro. More delicate and slightly sweeter than regular kukicha.

Temperature: 185° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 30 seconds - 1.5 minutes

The dry leaf aroma has notes of nuts, sweet grass, and oats.

The liquor is cloudy and green with an aroma that is rich, buttery, and nutty with intriguing floral notes.  The taste is rich with a hint of astringency with nori and nutty notes followed by a sweet green finish.

For the purpose of this review, I steeped this kukicha in 185° F water for 1.5 minutes, then 30 seconds, and 30 seconds again.  I've enjoyed karigane before yet I was still surprised by the complexity in the first infusion.  The second infusion was less complex while also being more savory, while the third infusion was notably mellower with a refreshing sweet green finish and an almost minty cooling sensation.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Asanoka Kabuse Sencha (Charaku)

Asanoka Kabuse Sencha

Charaku
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Miyazaki Prefecture, Miyazaki City, Takaoka Town
Product Description:

Kabuse (literally "covered") teas represent a growing technique where the tea plants are shaded for a period prior to harvest. This includes Gyokuro, but Gyokuro is shaded longer (3-4 weeks,) and more completely than a Kabuse Sencha, which might be shaded for a week or two at most, allowing it to occupy a space between Sencha and Gyokuro. This Asanoka Kabuse Sencha infuses to a golden-green hue with a faint grassy aroma. The first infusion is slightly buttery and full-bodied, but lightly flavored with good amami (sweetness). The second infusion thins out a bit but the shibumi (astringency) becomes more forward with sweetness at the finish. The third infusion sees astringency diminshed and a good balance of amami and shibumi. 

Temperature: 175° F

Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 30 seconds - 2 minutes

The dry leaves have a savory, nutty, and sharp green aroma.

The light yellow-green liquor has an aroma that is deeply savory with notes of nuts and sun-warmed grass.  The taste is thick and savory with umami and notes of Macadamia nuts followed by a long sweet green and nutty finish.

For the purpose of this review, I followed the suggested brewing instructions with a 2 minute initial steep, followed by a 1 minute second steep, and a 30 second third steep.  The results were deliciously savory with spring-green notes throughout.  I especially enjoyed the rich buttery notes that developed in the second infusion.

This tea was purchased by me.