Happy October, tea friends. October in New England is one of my favorite times of year with its glorious blazes of color streaked across nature’s canvas. A feast for the eyes. This month I’m going to explore tea from Japan and I’m starting the month off with quite a unique tea, a new experience for me and quickly a new favorite.

I introduce you to a black tea from Japan called Ikumi.

Yes, you heard me correctly. A Japanese black tea.

Black tea has been cultivated in Japan for approximately 150 years, however, it is rarely exported out of the country. Almost half of Japan’s tea is grown in the Shizuoka prefecture, an area of abundant rainfall and thick fog located on the central eastern coastline. It is also an area prone to devastating earthquakes which hit historically every 100-150 years, the last one occurring in 1854. Interestingly enough, the name Shizuoka means “Tranquil Hills”.

As the tea leaves steeped in boiling point (212 degrees F) water for 4 minutes, a sweet nutmeg aroma wafted up from my glass teapot, portending wonderful flavor notes to come.

The dark amber liquor is delightfully complex with notes of nutmeg and black raspberry one moment and then cocoa and cinnamon the next. Yum!

Look at that dark, rich color.

A cool breeze blows in my window, a welcome relief to the tropical humidity of this past week. With leaves of crimson and gold framed against a brilliant blue sky today, it’s the perfect day for a nature walk.

Enjoy your weekend!

“Life’s ups and downs provide windows of opportunity to determine your values and goals. Think of using all obstacles as stepping stones to build the life you want.” ~Marsha Sinetar, author