Mellow Monk's Green Tea Blog

The spring tea forecast—looking good!

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:00:00 +0000

Our tea artisans in Aso report that the winter there was a typical one climate-wise, and the tea plants are emerging from their dorman period in excellent condition—healthy, vibrant, and ready to yield up their succulent leaves for us soon.

That's Nekodake in the background.

—Mellow Monk

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Happiness and the two selves

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:33:00 +0000

What your in-the-moment self considers happiness is entirely different from how your reflective self defines as happiness. The latter decides whether you consciously feel satisfied with your life, but it’s the former that determines whether you are truly happy deep down.

That is the conclusion that Daniel Kahneman suggests from his research into how we can feel very differently about an event when looking back than how we actually felt while experiencing the event as it happened.

For instance, have you ever looked back fondly on some past event or past era in your life and thought that you were happy but didn’t realize it at the time? That you wish you had lived more thoroughly?

Conversely, have you ever enjoyed an experience but then looked back on it, focused on some negative aspect, and then begun thinking of that formerly “good time” as a bad time?

This is what Nobel laureate Kahneman calls the conflict between the “experiencing self” and the “remembering self.”

This certainly dovetails with the concept of mindfulness—focusing on the here and now—which is a fundamental part of the Philosophy of Tea. In other words, if our in-the-moment self is the one who truly determines our happiness, then would not focusing on the here-and-now as much as possible make us happier?

This is something worth contemplating over a cup of green tea—or would that not be in the moment?

You do not need to be in a place like this to be completely in the moment, although it definitely helps.

—Mellow Monk

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Memoirs of a Secret Empire

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 04:16:00 +0000

Part of the PBS series Empires, the three-part "Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire" focuses on the rise and fall of the Tokugawa shogunate.

Part 3, "The Return of the Barbarians," chronicles how the country's reluctant opening to foreigners revealed the shogunate's — and the nation's — technological backwardness, eventually leading to the shogun's overthrow and the beginning of Japanese modernization.

Re-enactment scenes from part 3, "Return of the Barbarians."

—Mellow Monk

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Tea across America: Springboro, OH and Park Ridge, IL

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 04:53:00 +0000

A Springboro, Ohio tea shop is targeting teens in addition to traditional tea aficionados.

Meanwhile, the proprietor of a Park Ridge, Illinois tea store is spreading the word by demonstrating tea's culinary versatility. For instance, she especially likes this Green Tea Panna Cotta recipe from Tonia George's Tea Cookbook:

Green Tea Panna Cotta

1 1/2 T Matcha powder

6 T whole milk

2 tsp. powdered gelatin

2 C heavy cream

1/3 C sugar

4 (5-oz.) teacups or small round cooking molds

Gradually mix the Matcha powder with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the milk in a small bowl until smooth.

Pour the remaining milk into a small heatproof bowl and sprinkle over the gelatin. Set aside for about 5 minutes, then place the bowl over a shallow saucepan of hot water and stir until dissolved. Let cool.

Put the cream and sugar in a saucepan and heat over low heat until almost boiling. Remove from the heat and pour into a large glass measuring cup. Beat in the Matcha powder mixture, then the gelatin solution. Beat until fully blended. Pour the mixture into the teacups or cooking molds. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours until set. The panna cotta should wobble but they shouldn't look as though they are liquid in the center.

If you have made the panna cotta in cooking molds, dip the bases briefly in boiling water, then invert onto plates and give one short, sharp shake to loosen them. They should drop out easily. If you've made them in teacups, serve as they are. Serves 4.

The sign of a traditionalist: The above recipe calls for real powdered green tea, not tea bags.

—Mellow Monk

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One of my favorite do-enka songs

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:23:00 +0000

This enka song, Roukyoku Komori Uta, was a hit for Hitofushi Taro in 1963. I love the rough, folksy feel created by the old-fashioned instruments (including what sounds like a shochu bottle being tapped with a stick):

(The "do" in do-enka, by the way, means something like "seriously," "hard-core," or "old-school.")

The song inspired a Sonny Chiba movie of the same name. Lyrics [in Japanese] here. Video of Hitofushi belting out the tune a couple of decades later on live TV here.

I can’t wait to sing this on karaoke in Japan!

Although undoubtedly many people can wait.

—Mellow Monk

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Green tea, ginger, and honey for a sore throat

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:39:00 +0000

If you're blue and you don't know what to do, why don't you go where fashion sits.

And if you have a sore throat and want to sooth it naturally, why don't you try green tea with ginger and honey?

Freshly grated ginger works best — and tastes best, too.

By the way, this yummy combination is great even when you don't have a sore throat.

A homemade cup of green with with ginger and honey — mmm, yummy!

—Mellow Monk

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Shizuoka tea slideshow

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:34:00 +0000

John Lander, whose beautiful photographs I featured recently, also has this slideshow of Shizuoka's exquisite world of tea:

Japanese Tea Images Gallery - Images by John Lander

—Mellow Monk

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Folk tales and the Tale of Genji

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:10:00 +0000

Here is a smattering of Japanese folktales.

(And, for good measure my favorite Japanese ghost story.)

But the Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) is no mere folktale. Although written over a thousand years ago, it weighs in at one thousand pages and is considered one of the world's first novels.

(The book's protagonist, Hikaru Genji, is not to be confused with the '90s boy band of the same name.)

Many of the sites featured in the novel can still be visited today, although they may have changed a bit in the last millennium.

Kyoto's Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine, said to be the tutelary shrine of the Minamoto (Genji) clan, to which Hikaru Genji belonged.

—Mellow Monk

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The Monk defies you not to smile at the "Trololo Song"

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 03:22:00 +0000

From the Russian singing legend Eduard Khil — a.k.a. Edward Hill — comes "Indeed, I am very glad that I finally am returning home," a.k.a. the Trololo Song:

—Mellow Monk

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Jamba Juice to serve "heavenly" tea

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:45:00 +0000

The news from Jamba Juice is that its upcoming lineup of hot beverages includes "Heavenly Green Tea," made with matcha green tea, cane sugar, and vanilla.

I look forward to tasting one, although I will probably ask them to hold the cane sugar.

And with a bottle of vanilla extract, we could all make our own Heavenly Green Tea.

A farmhouse and its tea field. (Taken by yours truly in Kumamoto, Japan.)

—Mellow Monk

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99 kettles of tea on the wall ...

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:32:00 +0000

Cortney Wagner, who operates the tea blog 99kettles, was kind enough to review our Top Leaf Green Tea.

And speaking of kettles, ChefsChoice makes some nice ones — electric and cordless, and many with other nifty features.

For instance, the 688 SmartKettle not only heats water to within 2 degrees of the temperature you set it to, but also holds the water at that temperature and is twice as energy efficient as heating water in a conventional stovetop kettle.

Click for an extreme close-up of the mellow infusion.

—Mellow Monk

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Lamps and other authentic Japanese wares

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:06:00 +0000

Artcraft Japan carries some very lovely, very authentic Japanese products. These are clearly no touristy trinkets.

Even photos of these lamps make me feel so mellow.

—Mellow Monk

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Late winter haiku

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:26:00 +0000

Buoyed by the wind

Then alighting on my hand

A petal of snow

—Mellow Monk

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A tea ceremony in person, and temple gardens online

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:09:00 +0000

If you live in Saginaw, Michigan, you can experience an authentic Japanese tea ceremony right in town — at the Japanese Cultural Center and Tea House.

And now matter where you live, you can virtually visit some amazing Japanese gardens, courtesy of photographer John Lander (www.asiaimages.net).

PhotoShelter also has an automated slideshow of its blissful images.

A view at the amazing Shisendo Temple. (Photographer: John Lander www.asiaimages.net.)

—Mellow Monk

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Nara's Todaiji

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:59:00 +0000

If you are ever in Nara, you should definitely pay a visit to the very old, very regal Todai Temple.

The underside of Todaiji's Nandaimon (Great Southern Gate).

—Mellow Monk

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Two nice, simple infusers from LifeNow

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:40:00 +0000

I have seen this ForLife infuser (which comes with a mug) at my local Pete's Coffee and Teas. It feels very sturdy and well-built, which is important when dislodging sticky wet leaves that have yielded all of their goodness and need replacing.

I also like this infuser: The extended handle means it should fit across all but the largest of mugs, and it comes with a nice little ceramic drip-catching dish.

Which is important when keeping green tea's wholesome goodness off of your desk.

—Mellow Monk

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Sushi rolls and zakkokumai onigiri

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:15:00 +0000

The Pioneer Woman shows how to make some unique, scrumptious-looking sushi rolls, while La Fuji Mama gives us a recipe for mouth-watering zakkokumai onigiri.

Thank you so much, ladies!

The glorious Donewell Roll.

—Mellow Monk

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Tea catechins' bioavailability demonstrated by new study

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:02:00 +0000

A study published in the journal Nutrition shows that "green tea catechins are more bioavailable than previously observed."

"Bioavailable" means how much of an ingested substance survives digestion and whatnot to remain available for the body to absorb and use.

(For instance, that means more green tea antioxidants to fight glaucoma and other eye ailments.)

In the case of green tea, science had long known that catechins such as EGCG have the ability to fight various afflictions. What was unclear, however, was how much of those green tea catechins actually made it into the body to fight those ailments.

Therein lies the significance of this study: Now we have even more proof that compounds like EGCG really do survive the trip into our bodies.

They are, after all, such hearty compounds. (Pun intended.)

Just looking at a scene like this feels good for my eyes. (From a segment of the documentary Kyushu, Where Japan's Green Tea Grows.)

—Mellow Monk

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Kit Kat = certain victory

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:00:00 +0000

According to one theory, the popularity of Kit Kat in Japan is due partly to its name, whose Japanese pronunciation bears a phonetic resemblance to the phrase kitto katsu, or "You will surely win."

Available in green tea flavor, of course. In Japan, that is, of course.

—Mellow Monk

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The Tea Guy's videos

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:45:00 +0000

Brendan the Tea Guy hosts informative, nicely made videos about tea, such as an overview of steeping devices and this video on how to brew loose-leaf tea with a French press:

—Mellow Monk

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Japan's smiling dog

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:37:00 +0000

At roughly 0:32 in this video, Chiichan's owner asks if he wants to go for a walk, and in response the doggie makes the face that has made him an Internet sensation.

—Mellow Monk

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Kelly reviews our Shaded Leaf

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:31:00 +0000

Kelly McGeachie has written a review [Facebook link] of our Shaded Leaf Green Tea.

For those who have trouble accessing her Facebook note, I have pasted the text below, after the photo accompanying her review.

Nice mug, Kelly! (And the tea's not bad, either.)

Mellomonk Green Tea review OCTOBER 2009.

One thing I love and cherish is the opportunity to sit in my armchair in my bedroom with a steaming cup full of tea, a magazine and my teapot sitting right next to me on the table.; ready for a quick top-up.

I've always been an avid black tea drinker, whether it be English Breakfast or some spicy chai; but a couple of years back a friend of mine overseas introduced me to the wonderful world that is 'Green Tea'. I'd tried a couple of brands of tea bags and other loose leafs in the past, as I'd heard so much about the wonderful health benefits of drinking Green Tea. To be honest I really wasn't that fond of it! Can you relate to this yourself?

This friend of mine kept telling me I should try something else when it came to my Green tea. Tea bags are NOT and never are the answer, he told me. He suggested I try this brand called Mellow Monk that he had been buying for a while. 'You gotta get in touch with the monk kel' he'd say to me.

In a surprising bout of generosity my friend sent me some of this Mellow Monk tea to try. When I received it I was instantly drawn to the pretty foil packaging and really couldn't wait to try it. (This stuff is leaf tea by the way). The taste was something out of this world. So much so that since my first packet of Mellow Monk I haven't looked back and I never even touch black tea anymore. Well, unless I'm round a friend’s house and feel the need to be polite in accepting it.

Today, I received a packet of Mellow Monk's latest Green Tea called 'Shaded Leaf’, a Sencha tea which I have yet to try,. As the name connotes the leaves are shaded about 21 days before harvest, blocking out 90% of sunlight, this then stimulates the plant to make more of the super healthy catcheins, that we know are so good for us.

As soon as I open the packet I just know I am in for a treat, instantly you can smell the youthfulness and freshness of the leaves in the packet. Plus, I don't know about you but I'm always drawn to pretty packaging! ;)

To prepare, I grab my teapot and boil some water. I 'walk away' for a while to let the water cool to as close to 75 degrees as possible (The perfect brewing temperature) I then put a level teaspoon of Shaded Leaf into my tea pot and steep it for approximately three minutes.

I strain the leaves and pour the tea into my cup (step by step instructions, very important you see) and voila! The tea is ready!

The strained leaves almost represent a paste after use, they are so moist and fresh I cannot begin to tell you. From a few past brands I had tried from my local health shop the leaves were always so dry. Apparently this is not how your leaves should be.

So for now the taste test:

The Shaded Leaf is soft and sweet, and mild in flavour. In fact if you
let it cool enough you could probably drink it down like water the
taste is so smooth. The taste is so crisp and fresh without a trace of
harshness or bitterness in my mouth. In my opinion if you are a
beginner when it comes to green tea this would be the perfect
elementary tea for you to try! Also, this tea would be suitable for
consumption at any time of the day, particularly a after a meal
(always a nice way to finish off I think)

My rating is honestly 5/5 – This is probably one of my favourite
Mellow Monk teas, probably due to the fact that it has such a smooth
and full-bodied taste.

Another thing I LOVE about this tea (and yet ANOTHER reason why I
choose this brand over anything else) is that it is sourced from
eco-friendly farms, that have minimal environmental impact!

The quality really is fantastic! and did I mention the service yet?
Well If not then rest assured that whenever I have bought my tea from
their online store, the company is very helpful. They usually ship to
me overseas within a week! I thought this would be important to
mention as I know people tend to worry about that when buying offline,
but I can assure you they've always been fast and efficient, and
always answer any questions you may have etc.

If you want to get your hands on some of this then check out the
website at http://www. mellowmonk.com and see what tickles your fancy! There is much variety to choose from.

—Mellow Monk

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More of mellow Usa

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:15:00 +0000

Yesterday's post didn't do the place justice, so here are more photos of Oita's Usa Shrine:

—Mellow Monk

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Japan-o-ramas

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 14:49:00 +0000

360cities has literally hundreds of panoramas of sights to see in Japan, but the closest the website gets to our teas' homeland of Kumamoto is Usa Jingu, a sprawling, beautiful shrine located one prefecture over in out-of-the-way Usa.

This is only one small area of the entrancingly large shrine complex. If you are ever in Oita or Beppu, I highly recommended making the drive — or train ride — to Usa.

—Mellow Monk

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The sword, the empty mind, and the teacup

noreply@blogger.com (Mellow Monk) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:41:00 +0000

Speaking of Japan's martial arts (see Tuesday's post), I recently came across a scientific study that reminded me about another martial art — the way of the sword.

Researchers in England have found that a person reacting to another's action can actually be faster than the person to whom he or she is reacting.

This reminded me of iaidō, which is known as the art of drawing a sword but more specifically is about drawing a sword in response to an opponent who has drawn first.

Not an appealing situation to be in.

The study also reminded me of a comment in "Kyushu, Where Japan's Green Tea Growers" (a documentary in which a Mellow Monk tea procurer is shown visiting two families of grower-artisans). At a kendo school in Hitoyoshi, a kendo master discusses [video link] the importance of emptying one's mind before a bout — that doing so is necessary to assure quick action.

But the reason for doing so is not merely to react to one's opponent but also to act as quickly and as unconsciously as one who is reacting.

The concept of emptying one's mind also ties in with the philosophy of tea — as a prerequisite for mindfully focusing on the tea at hand and on one's guest.

But then that is a topic for another post.

An intense moment at the kendōjō. (Click the image to see the video clip.)

—Mellow Monk

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