St pATRICK'S dAY WITH mATCHA WITH THE tEA gUILD OF cANADA

On Wednesday March 14th the Tea Guild of Canada had a St Patrick’s Day with Matcha event. The presenters were Momo Yoshida of Momo Tea and Sorlie Madox and Helen Kong of Secret Teatime. ​

Momo Yoshida is a serious tea lover and tea advocate. She imports fresh tea from Japan and is the owner of the online store:  Momo Tea, which you can find at:   www.momotea.co/.
Momo belongs to the Urasenke school of chanoyu and is continuing to learn the tea ceremony. She holds workshops from time to time and writes a column in the Japanese magazine, "Bits.

​Secret Teatime is a ceramic studio in Scarborough founded by OCAD Jewelry and Ceramic graduates Sorlie Madox and Helen Kong. 
Sorlie has a Specialist Degree in Japanese Studies from U of T, and during her time as an exchange student in Kyoto, began studying the Yokenryu School of Tea. 
Helen studied Chado while she lived in Japan as an English teacher, and is continuing her studies in Toronto. 
They both opened up Secret Teatime in 2013 and have since devoted themselves to the creation of tea wares inspired by the Way of Tea. You can see their beautiful ceramic creations here www.secretteatime.com
 

After attendees mingled over refreshments (including organic tofu and vegetable green rice makis), the program started with a Sencha tea (Japanese steamed green tea) being served and a brief presentation of matcha agriculture and it’s production process. This was followed by Momo demonstrating a tray-tea Chado service tea ceremony on a tatami mat (on the floor) while Sorlie and Helen spoke about this versatile and ritual way of making matcha.
The meaning of Chado is Cha = tea and Do = path or road.  Which translates as “The Way of Tea”. To master Chado, or The Way of Tea, is a lifetime of learning.
 
There are different schools of tea. There are three historical households descended from the 16th-century tea master Sen no Rikyū. These three schools of tea are the Omotesenke, Urasenke, and Mushakōji. According to Sorlie, some Merchant schools of tea (like the ones that are practiced by the descendants of Rikyu) are slower and flashier than contemporary forms practiced by Samurai tea schools. 
 
We learned that in the spring a new tea of that year (usually tencha leaves which are used for making matcha) are placed into an urn and sealed and buried for the summer months to age. In the autumn the urn is opened in an important ritual marking a tea person’s New Year, or the Kuchi-kiri (opening of the tea urn). There is then a ceremony for the grinding of these tencha leaves into matcha.

​Gyokuro is like a sister to Matcha, as both of them are shaded for at least 20 days. This shuts out the direct sunlight to reduce the rate of photosynthesis resulting in high levels of theanine, the amino acid responsible for the full-bodied flavor of the matcha and gyokuro teas.
 
There are two types of matcha preparation: Koicha and Usucha. Koicha is a very thick tea and looks like glossy paint. Historically it was considered medicinal and was also referred to as having a “dose” of tea. Usacha is a thin tea which whisks up into a foam on top.
 
Momo pointed out something to be wary of. Make sure what you purchase is actually matcha and not ‘green tea powder’. Green tea powder is ground Sencha and is very bitter and not very nice tasting. Matcha is ground tencha leaves and is most flavourful and pleasing. Sencha, although an excellent tea when prepared correctly, is not a shaded tea and is not pleasant in a ground form

​A Chawan (tea bowl) will have in its design or construction an area that has decoration, imperfection or an irregularity. This will be the front of the bowl which is considered the most desirable part. There will be a curve or small well in the bottom of the bowl. This is where the Chasen (bamboo whisk) will rest when placed in the bowl.
 
A Chasen (bamboo whisk) is made of curled thin strands of bamboo tines and is used to whisk the matcha. Helen recommends a chasen with 72-80 tines because it is the most versatile and durable.  It can be used for both usucha and koicha. Whereas the 100 tine chasen can be too thin or brittle and is mainly good for usucha.  A chasen made by a professional chasen artisan is pricier, but is more durable due to the process of using a polished knife to thin the tines, which burnishes the surface of the bamboo (and repels water). Chasen tines that are thinned out by a file (usually done in production made chasen) will leave a rough surface, which will absorb more water and stain more easily. 

Shapes of Chawan:

• Winter bowls have higher walls to contain the heat. 
• Summer bowls are lower and broader in profile, so the heat can disperse. 
• Everything else in between these shapes are generally all season shapes. The decoration will indicate the season as well. 

 
Chasen Care:

• Soak the tines of the chasen for at least 30 seconds before using. This will make the tines   flexible.  Whisking with a dry whisk will put pressure on brittle tines. 
• After using the chasen, clean by whisking in hot water. If there is still tea residue on the tines, with clean hands, you can use your fingers to wipe the residue off the tines under the tap. 
• You can also reshape the tines while the chasen is wet. 
• Do not put the chasen back into the container (especially the plastic containers) right after the rinse. Let it dry completely.  Paper boxes are better. Never cap the plastic containers. 
• Use your chasen! Use it even if it's a few times a year. They can dry out and crack if not used for than a year depending on the humidity in the room where it's stored. 

There were 6 basic steps to the Chado ceremony:
(A sweet is usually served to the guests to enjoy before they are served the tea)
1.T he host prepares for the ceremony.
2. Guests prepare for the ceremony (The guests also need to prepare for the ceremony before actually participating.  They need to leave worldly worries behind)

3. Cleaning the tools
4. Preparing the matcha
5. Serving the matcha to guests
6. Completing the ceremony, cleaning of utensils
(The guests need to inspect the tools used in the ceremony as a sign of respect and admiration for the host)
 
How to drink the Matcha from the bowl during the ceremony:
1.Pick up your tea bowl using your right hand
2.Place the tea bowl on the palm of your left hand, and rotate it twice clockwise
3. Drink (with 3-4 sips, or 10 depending on the school). Make an audible slurp on the last sip
4. When you’re finished drinking, rotate the tea bowl twice counter-clockwise before placing it back in the original location
5. Admire the bowl
 
People were encouraged to bring their own Chawans (tea bowls) and Chasens (bamboo whisks) and we had plenty on hand as well. There was quite an array of beautiful ceramic tea ware to behold!
 
Participants had the opportunity for a hands-on experience of whisking and drinking matcha while being served wonderful matcha macaroons, coconut macaroons, and huge delicious organic daifuku (glutinous rice sweets filled with naturally flavoured and sweetened bean paste). There were two types of daifuku: Matcha and Yuzu (a Japanese citrus fruit). The word Daifuku translates as ‘Great Luck’ which was fitting for this St Patrick’s Day event!