Akira Hojo | HOJO Online Speciality Tea Shop- Part 20

[2014.03.24]

The Sign of Pu-erh Tea Bubble in Yunnan

• Types of Tea
• China
• Pu-erh Tea and Dark Tea
• Raw Pu-erh Tea
• Yunnan

By the end of this month, I will be departing to China for tea hunting. According to the information from Yunnan province, it has been a very dry weather since the beginning of this year. Thus, if the drought continues, the appearance of the tea may not be at its best and will also affect …

[2014.03.18]

The Beauty of Pu-erh Tea Mao-Cha

• Types of Tea
• China
• Pu-erh Tea and Dark Tea
• Raw Pu-erh Tea
• Yunnan

During our purchasing of Pu-erh tea in Yunnan, we select the tea in mao-cha form. A mao-cha means loose tea right after the production. For more than a thousand years, tea compression was carried out, where the mao-cha is compressed into a round cake or rectangular brick shape.   There are 2 reasons why the …

[2014.03.13]

Booking for Junshan Yinzhen 2014 starts now

• New Arrival at HOJO Online Shop
• Types of Tea
• What's New?
• Yellow Tea

We opened the reservation for the Junshan Yinzhen 2014. I introduced this tea last year too. However it was sold out in a week due to the limited stock. In this year, we would like to book the stock in advance so as to secure the sufficient quantity. The tea to enjoy the water structure …

[2014.02.27]

Simple tips to enjoy a nice cup of tea at office

• How to enjoy tea

At our hectic and busy work place, many of us would love to enjoy a few cups of nice tea to get through our day. Some of us may prepare tea at home, fill it in a thermos and bring it to work. Long time ago, I had the same practice before when I was …

[2014.02.21]

The combination of different type of clay often gives negative effect

• Teapot and Tea Equipment
• Banko Teapot
• Japanese Teapot and Tea Equipment
• Science between the taste of tea and material

We usually do not suggest combining two or more clay tea ware of different types of material. There are more negative effects when different types of clay are combined There are some people who love to incorporate different types of clay ware just like the way we coordinate fashion. However, the combination of different clay …

[2014.02.10]

The advantage and disadvantage with different type of filter on teapot

• Teapot and Tea Equipment
• Chinese Teapot
• Japanese Teapot and Tea Equipment

I would like to share some points of teapot selecting based on the type of filter. Generally, there are 4 types of filter commonly used as follow. Direct hole: The single or multi-number holes directly made on the body Sasame/Seramesh: Originated by Tokoname potters. Tiny holes were made on one piece of clay, and then …

[2014.02.06]

2 types of clay used for Mumoyi Yaki in Sado Island

• Teapot and Tea Equipment
• Japanese Teapot and Tea Equipment
• Mumyoi Clay Teapot
• Nosaka Clay Teapot
• Sado Red Clay Teapot

In Japan, the pottery in Sado Island that uses natural red clay is called the Mumyoi Yaki (無名異焼). The Mumyoi Yaki is defined as the clay ware made of “Shudei” (朱泥), collected from the Aikawa gold mine and the surrounding mountains. However, if you understand more about the Mumyoi Yaki, you would know that there …

[2013.12.23]

Visiting Sado Island in Winter

• Teapot and Tea Equipment
• Tea Column
• Japanese Teapot and Tea Equipment
• Mumyoi Clay Teapot
• Nosaka Clay Teapot
• Sado Red Clay Teapot

I visited Sado Island to meet our potters, Watanabe Tozo and Shimizu Ken. This Island is situated in the north of Niigata prefecture where it was formed by submarine volcanos. For me, to get to Sado Island is like travelling overseas because it takes me 6 hours from my hometown, travelling by car and also …

[2013.12.06]

The Gungfu brewing method of Phoenix Oolong by the local tea expert

• How to enjoy tea
• Video
• China
• Chinese Oolong Tea
• Guangdong
• Oolong Tea
• Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea
• Tea Brewing Technque

We made a video to demonstrate the authentic brewing method of Phoenix Dan Cong oolong by the local tea experts at Phoenix Mountain, which is called the Gongfu style. In this video, a gaiwan is used; however, you can also use a houhin, shiboridashi or teapot that has a fast enough flow of water. The …

[2013.11.26]

The Intimate Relationship Between Body and Calcium

• How to choose quality tea
• Environmental factors
• Factors that affects tea quality
• Material Quality of Tea
• Quality component of tea
• Soil Condition
• Tasting ability

One of the indexes to evaluate the quality of tea is the body. Body is a term often used to describe the taste, yet I think very few people precisely comprehended it well. The word “body” can be described as boldness, width, and heaviness. Basically, it is the term that describes the taste and flavour …