Green, green, green. After a week of cool, rainy spring days, the world outside is resplendent in a cloak of velvety green shades.
Do you find that the weather influences your choice of tea? I do. Darker, more full-bodied teas when it’s chilly and lighter, more delicate teas for those warm, light filled days.
The green world is definitely affecting my choice of tea this morning, a Japanese Sencha called “Koumi”. Grown in the Uji region of Kyoto prefecture in Japan, its dark green, glossy leaves have been lightly steamed during processing to halt oxidation.
In the mid 1300s, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu promoted the cultivation and production of high quality green tea in Uji. The Tsuen Tea Shop, located by the Uji bridge, is reputed to be the oldest tea shop in all of Japan, with the first “Tsuen” serving tea to weary travelers in 1160.
I steeped the tea leaves for 2 1/2 minutes in 160 degree F water. It’s amazing how green the leaves are, especially after steeping.
The steeped liquor is a beautiful spring green with an aroma of freshly steamed asparagus.
The flavor is delicate and smooth with light corn notes. I’ve read that one of the health benefits of green tea is the ability of the polyphenols to inhibit plaque and bacterial growth in your mouth. With its clean, refreshing taste and mouth feel, I can certainly believe that.
In contrast to last weekend, this weekend will be a lazy, hazy one spent puttering around the abode. Its time to take stock of all of the art projects I’ve got started and set some priorities for finishing them!
I wonder what it would be like to live in a world
where it was always June.
~L.M. Montgomery
Art and Tea 
i recently converted to tea from coffee, so i haven’t really figured out if i like green tea better in the warmer months. of course, that could be because where i live never really gets that warm in the summer, so I am still really liking black tea in the morning. you sure make green tea look inviting. the bottom photo is especially soothing.
I enjoy your Saturday tea poetry posts. The word images are as lovely as the pictures and the stories that go with each tea makes it richer. Thanks for taking the time on these.
Thanks for stopping by my new blog today! It is always a pleasure to hear from you. And I enjoy your tea tastings. I generally drink only black teas. But I enjoy reading about the teas you are trying.
Happy Summer!
karen honey – can you email me, i have a favor to ask of you….xoxo nina
Hi Sue, congratulations on becoming a convert! I find the caffeine effect to be much more gentle with tea. Black tea is perfect for those chilly mornings. It’s supposed to be rainy here for the next 10 days so I will be drinking a lot more black tea! 🙂
Thanks so much Kathleen, I’m glad to hear that you’re enjoying my tea posts. I love to find the story that lies behind things and you sound like a kindred spirit.
Thanks Lynn, I’m glad to hear that you enjoy reading about the teas. I wish you much luck in your new venture!
Sure thing, Nina.