One of our favourite things to do is make connections with farmers around the world and February saw Nick fly to Japan to get a lay of the land. This was the first of many sourcing trips of his. Nick will become our Japanese tea specialist, honing his language skills and strengthening his connections there.
This trip was above all else just about getting a feel for Japan. Familiarizing himself with the streets of Kyoto, practising his Japanese and picking up some unique teas for our tea club! He was there for two weeks and will be going back for another week or so in November (with me) to deepen the connections he made this year and meet with our current tea producer in Uji, Kyoto - Yuta.
Nick first arrived in Kyoto where he was quick to taste Uji Matcha of different cultivars. He tried matcha from the tourist trap locations, with various matcha flavoured foods and sweet drinks, but then of course he had to nerd out a bit more. He visited Akamon Chaya - a gorgeous tea house - to explore their offerings and taste local matcha of different cultivars.
Nick also made sure to visit a tea farm while he was in Uji in order to get a feel for what harvesting and production looked like, understanding more and more the differences between various teas like sencha, gyokuro, matcha, hojicha, etc.
Going through back alleys and exploring Kyoto, chatting with the friendly people (especially within the tea industry) made the trip special, but it wouldn't have been complete without a good bowl of ramen to warm up. Kyoto in February can get a bit cold - maybe not as cold as Nova Scotia, but cold nonetheless, with a dusting of snow blanketing the rooftops. A good ramen dispelled any cold creeping in.
After Kyoto, Nick ventured to Tokyo. He had been to Tokyo in June of 2025 and was glad to return, this time with a bit more of a focus on tea and just generally getting a feel for Japanese cuisine and culture. He visited Shibuya Sushiki for an omakase which NEARLY broke the bank.
Nick, Kayleigh and I will be going back to Japan in November. Our current plans involve a week in Japan and a week in China, although where exactly in China is still up for debate. Nick's vote is for Kunming, Yunnan to try Pu'er at the source, my vote is for Chaozhou to experience the unique tea culture in the city and explore dancong farms. Kayleigh on the other hand is happy wherever we go, although has recently expressed interest in Taipei, so there could be baozhong in our future...
We'll leave it to the tea club to help us decide, because after all, where we go will influence the tea they get to drink!
Until next time, beannachd leibh is tapadh leibh 'son leughadh!