Happiness is Best Served Green
Are online conference calling and a virtual teatime experience the matcha made in heaven needed to turn a tea novice into a green guru?
I’m going to let you in on a shocking secret. Tea is not the lifeblood of all Brits.
I am ashamed to say I am one of those unconventional weirdos who doesn’t drink tea like a fish. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good scone and afternoon tea, and around my late teens I drank my fair share of English Breakfast, but only when it was offered to me by a family member or that of my ex boyfriend. But although there is always a bag or box or two around the house, I seldom actively make a cuppa for myself unless I’m offering one at the same time. And that’s just the brown stuff.
But where this Brit has found herself (Japan) is undoubtably world-famous for green tea, and more increasingly so for the trending ground up type, matcha. So to say that I rarely indulge in a cup of any kind of tea is a bit of an affront to the two nations I now consider home.
It’s not that I don’t like the stuff. In fact, quite conversely, I love green tea flavoured anything and earl grey cakes and biscuits make my belly go all warm and fuzzy on the inside, but perhaps I’m just lazy about actually making it myself. So when I saw the opportunity to participate in Arigato Japan’s Green Teatime in Japan virtual experience, I took it as a sign to give myself a kick up the backside and finally get onboard with this super-foody miracle leaf juice.
“and you don’t strictly need to be wearing pants to enjoy the experience”
For those of you who haven’t been living under a lockdown rock over the last few months, you will most likely know what Zoom is. With many travel bans still in place, Arigato Japan have savvily combined their excellent food and drink tours with the online video conferencing platform to bring the green tea fields of Japan to your living room (and you don’t strictly need to be wearing pants to enjoy the experience).
This meant that I was able to squeeze into an evening session straight after my post work anti-‘rona shower without the worry of any social distancing to join in the fun. And all that was required was a decent internet connection, tea and drinking vessel of choice, and some hot water.
As I said, I always have a few bags on hand, but for this experience I felt like I needed something a little more.. impressive? But, alas, after a particularly slow commute home from work, I didn’t have time to go on a special green tea hunt. So I instead set myself a challenge for the average Joe, who might not have access to the grassy green loose leaf variety, to see just how good a cup I could make with what I did have by the end of the experience.
I was joined by a handful of other attendees from all over the globe and our wonderful host, green tea guru Lauren Shannon, who has been living in Japan for 23 years honing her tea preparation skills and excellent trivia knowledge. We began the session with a little ice breaker and quiz session, which I was dreading given my introverted disposition, but by the end I was having to stop myself raising my hand to avoid being that annoying classroom swat. (For someone who introduced their relationship to green tea as, “Knowing it’s the stuff at sushi restaurants”, I feel like I’m quite on it with my tea trivia.)
Lauren posed some real thinkers and gave us a great insight into the different types of tea available, their health benefits and how to vary the levels of caffeine released through proper preparation (who knew that was possible??) in addition to directing us in making our own perfect cup of tea.
“I managed to make something reminiscent of a tea I once enjoyed at high tea in the Park Hyatt Tokyo. And if that doesn’t say something for Lauren’s ability to work green tea miracles, then I’m not sure what does.”
Before joining the session I was somewhat apprehensive as a less-than-avid tea drinker that I would feel alienated during the session or find it boring, but when it came to making my own cup, I was so engrossed by the conversation and busy note-taking on the perfect brewing conditions that I actually missed my cue to start and found everyone enjoying their first sips as I caught up.
As expected, I was the only attendee with a sorry looking bog-standard mass produced bag to brew, but following Lauren’s clear steps I managed to make something reminiscent of a tea I once enjoyed at high tea in the Park Hyatt Tokyo. And if that doesn’t say something for Lauren’s ability to work green tea miracles, then I’m not sure what does. She might have made a green tea convert out of me yet!
Not only did I learn more than I thought was possible to know about tea through the experience (and proved that even the cheapest bag can indeed go through a Cinderella-like metamorphosis), but I feel as though I have made a lifelong green tea friend and confidant with whom I can discuss green tea food pairings, recipe inspirations, and tearoom recommendations. And with attendees dotted all over, Lauren has also compiled a list of the best global suppliers to cater for everyone.
If you too are interested in finding out how to brew the perfect cup of tea in the comfort of your own home (with or without pants) or want to know more about Japan’s green tea culture and why the nation loves these little leaves so much, head over to Arigato Japan’s Green Teatime virtual experience page to book a session no matter where you are in the world!
Happy brewing 🍃
