Tea and Sunset

Evenings have been warmer than usual lately which made me a happy camper when we went to the beach to enjoy sunset this evening.  Well, we were not really on the beach, but on our usual spot on the cliff that was close enough to the ocean.  Watching sunset over the Pacific Ocean is something that both of us love to do since we moved here almost a decade ago. And we do this a lot!    

I brought with us a pitcher of cold brew organic Kagoshima Saemidori sencha that I forgot to pack while running errands earlier today. I prepared the tea before I went to bed last night - something that I often do on the warm days, left it in the fridge overnight and planed to drink it throughout the day. It was a good thing that I forgot to drink it during the day. This cold, refreshing and naturally sweet drink was much better enjoyed while watching beautiful sunset on this perfect spot anyway. 

Tea on the road - Monterey

While I miss my morning matcha ritual, I am still able to enjoy a descent cup of sencha. Sitting on the porch of our hotel room overlooking Del Monte Golf Course in Monterey, I am currently sipping organic sencha Okuyutaka from Yuuki-Cha, brewed directly in Nakahara hagi cup using the finum brewing basket. No kyusu, scale or thermometer (the later I rarely use any way); just eyedballed the leaves and used hot water from the hotel's club lounge for a quick steep. 

Tea in Paris

Pictures of our tea moments in Paris early this month. 

Darjeeling Oolong Fancy at Mariage Freres Tea Salon

Castleton, SFTGFOP 1

Mariage Freres Store

Tea Menu at Mariage Freres Tea Salon

I was pleased to find the hotels we stayed in served good Japanese teas. So glad to be able to enjoy those greens at breakfast.  

Genmaicha, my breakfast tea at Park Hyatt Vendome

Sencha, breakfast tea at Hyatt Regency Madeleine - loved the pot!

We found salon de thé everywhere in Paris. A decent pot of tea we had in a cafe across from Museum D'Orsay.

Tea at Le Royal Orsay Cafe

Had a wonderful time in Chajin, a cute Japanese tea room near our hotel in Madeleine. The owner, Carol Negiar used to be an Angelino as well. It was nice to chat about familiar places and sites.

Sencha at Chajin

Gyokuro at Chajin

My husband and I had a perfect experience at Mariage Freres tea market and salon on our first day in Paris that we decided to repeat the experience again before we left the city a week later.

Jungpana SFTGFOP1

Marco Polo White Tea

Mariage Freres Tea Museum

2010 Organic Tenryu Misukubo Shincha

This 100% handpicked asamushi (light-steamed) Yabukita shincha from Shizuoka was simply delicious! The dried leaves smelled very fresh and had a sweet vegetal aroma. On my first session, I used brewing parameters provided by the vendor; 3 grams of leaves in 4oz of water at 158°F in a pre-heated kyusu. The first infusion was 60 seconds and yielded a delicate, sweet and smooth tea. The second and third infusion was around 20 - 25 seconds. The brew was sweet, a hint of astringent and an umami taste.

On my second session, I used 1 to 1 leaves to water ratio and brewed it at a slightly cooler temperature but similar steeping time. I preferred the taste from this brewing; deepest umami but not overpowering, sweet, more astringent and vegetal. I enjoyed a very aromatic and delicious cup. 

Kaboku Sencha - Ippodo

Delicious asamushi sencha we picked up at the store in Kyoto last year. It has been opened for about a month, so I plan to finish it very soon.  Granted it was not as fresh as when we first opened, but it was still delicious. 

Megami Sencha - Royal T

Our tea adventure today brought us to Royal T Cafe in Culver City. It's a tea cafe, shop and art gallery combined. The main space is very open, bright and has a cool ambience.  It's really a fun place to enjoy your foods if you don't mind your wait staff wears French maid outfits. 

We scouted down their tea menus before checking out their lunch items. I decided to get one of their classic brews, Megami Sencha from Kagoshima region. To go with it, I ordered roasted beet salad. The husband tried Iced Kyoto Sunset from their modern brews list.  It's a premium Ceylon black tea with apricot flavor and a peach syrup on the side. He enjoyed it with Kobe beef burger which was really tasty. The sencha was delicious with spinach, slightly grassy flavor and very smooth. I will definately include Megami sencha in my next tea list. The color of the liquor reminded me of the color of ocha we had in one restaurant we visited in Tokyo