Green Tea (Sado)

Sado (Tea ceremony)

Sado, also called chado or cha no yu, is the traditional etiquette of preparing and drinking tea when one has guests. In sado, special powdered tea, different from ordinary Japanese tea is chiefly used. The powdered tea is put into a teacup, hot water is poured on it, it is whipped with a bamboo whisk till it foams and it is drunk. In the sixteenth century, Sen-no-Rikyu brought sado to perfection by incorporating the simple aesthetic values known as wabi(subtle taste) and sabi(elegant simplicity) and the concept that every single encounter never repeats in a life time(ichigo ichie). To make the encounter important, the host prepares with deep sincerity implements such as a hanging scroll or flowers to put in the alcove or the teacups. From such activities, meanwhile, the guests know the hostﾕs warm hospitality and are filled with gratitude.

Japanese Tea Boom

In Japan traditionally we have a custom to drink green tea after eating. After plastic bottles of green tea have come on the market, green tea has become popular also to young people. It is said that caffeine, (catechin included in) tannin, and vitamin C, contained in Japanese tea, are good for health.

Sencha and Matcha

It is sencha (natural leaf tea) that ordinarily we have after eating. Matcha (powdered green tea) is served on special occasions. Though there are tea ceremonies for sencha and matcha separately, it is tea ceremony for matcha that famous Sen no Rikyu has established.

Sencha is made by steaming the leaves and then twisting leaf tea thinly when drying. Matcha is made by picking the new leaves, steaming and drying, and then grinding into powder.

Top Three Tea-Producing Prefectures

1 Shizuoka 2 Kagoshima 3 Mie

Tea plantation

Tea Ceremony Is a Traditional Art of Living in Japan

It is said that green tea was brought as medicine from China by famous monks, Eisai and Dogen, during Kamakura era.　During Muromachi era, tea ceremonies have started to enjoy Matcha and during AzuchiMomoyama era Sen no Rikyu has perfected tea ceremony called “Wabicha.” Wabicha is a tea ceremony that places emphasis on the spiritual interaction between a guest and a host. That is, the host take a complete care for how to express his or her hospitality to the guest. The host will try to give the utmost service to the guest, considering, for example, what the guest likes, what situation he or she is in at that time, seasonal arrangements for the place, etc. Furthermore, care is taken for the procedure to make tea, reasonable and graceful movements, artistic tea utensils, etc.

Matcha served with some Japanese sweets will produce a happiest time. Reraxed mind will enable to drop all pretense.

Preparation before making tea