Playing the Brew-Tea-ful Game with Sayama Tea
When we think about Japanese tea, we normally think of tea from Shizuoka (静岡), Uji (宇治), or Kyoto (京都). But have you heard of Sayama tea (狭山茶 Sayama-cha), one of the three famous tea regions in Japan?
In Japan, there is a Meiji-era saying about tea: 色は静岡、香りは宇治よ、味は狭山でとどめさす (iro wa shizuoka, kaori wa ujiyo, aji wa sayama de todomesasu).
In English: “For colour, Shizuoka; for fragrance, Uji; for taste, Sayama.”
A peaceful park near the Sayama City Town Hall in Saitama Prefecture. (Image credit: photo AC)
Located in South-Central Saitama Prefecture (埼玉県 Saitama-ken), 40 minutes away from Tokyo (東京) by train, Sayama is one of the major agriculture centres of Japan. However, Sayama tea predates the city, going back as far as medieval Japan. In fact, tea has more than just history in Sayama—it’s a vital part of their every day. Apart from farming, Sayama also focuses on tea research. In the past few decades, the Saitama Tea Research Institute (埼玉県 茶業研究所 Saitama ken cha-gyō kenkyūjo) has also been coming up with new tea cultivars such as the Sayama-Kaori (さやまかおり), a tea cultivar that is known for its fresh, strong fragrance and flavour. Looking at the long role tea has here, it’s no wonder that Sayama tea is known throughout Japan.
Unlike tea grown in many farms throughout Japan, which sell their teas to larger companies to be blended into one standard taste, Sayama tea has long been characterised by small scale farms processing their tea leaves in their gardens. Even today, you can find many such farms about 20 minutes away by car from Sayamashi Station (狭山市駅 Sayamashi-eki) or Irumashi Station (入間市駅 Irumashi-eki).
A young tea leaf from Sayama. (Image credit: Makoto Shimokoshi / Flickr)
With a long tradition of small-scale farming, it’s no wonder that farmers in Sayama have decided to embrace the trend of creating artisanal products with a line of Single Origin Teas.
The Sayama Single Origin Tea project is the brainchild of NPO Agriculture Support Team in Saitama, a non-profit organisation dedicated to raising the profile of Sayama’s food products. They have realised that the best way of highlighting the unique aspects of Sayama tea is not by blending them, but promoting the various cultivars made by the farms. Although these are all green teas, they have different taste profiles—some have citrus notes, while others have floral notes, allowing one to explore the full breadth of flavours available in sencha (煎茶).
(Image Credit: 東京都立図書館)
One excellent way of getting to know the different Single Origin Teas is through a modernised form of Tocha (闘茶). Tocha is a game with its roots in Song Dynasty China, and crossed the oceans alongside tea plants. At its core, Tocha is a guessing game, where participants have to guess which is the real tea (本茶 honcha), and which is fake tea (非茶 hicha).
While this may sound easy, since there’s a huge difference between green tea and tisanes, there’s one more twist. In the game of tocha, real tea is defined as tea from a particular area (initially Togano, later Uji), while fake tea is defined as tea from any other region in Japan. In order words, participants have to be so familiar with green tea that they can differentiate between teas just based on the terroir.
(Image credit: photoAC)
As mentioned earlier, the NPO Agriculture Support Team in Saitama has updated the game of tocha. In this version of the game, participants are given samples of Single Origin Teas and asked to match them to blind samples. In this case, participants don’t have to be familiar with all the teas in Japan—but if you know how to tell the difference between teas with different levels of astringency, umami, and other flavours, you’re well on your way to be a tocha master.
If this sounds like a game you’d like to play, JAPAN RAIL CAFE and NPO Agriculture Support Team in Saitama will be hosting a Tocha webinar on 28 March 2021. You’ll get to try three of the Single Origin Teas and match them against three unlabelled samples, all the while guided by an expert from Japan. Limited slots are available, so be sure to register soon if you’re keen to put your tea-tasting skills to the test!
Event Details:
#StayAtホーム Sayama’s Identi-tea
Date: 28th March 2021 (Sun)
Time: 3:30–4:30pm
Venue: LIVE! on Facebook
Fee: $10/pax, suitable for all ages
Purchase at: sayama-identitea.peatix.com
Registered participants will get:
- 1 x Sayama Tea Sample Kit (3 types)
- Free delivery to one location
- BONUS: Guess all the teas correctly to win an additional packet of a Sayama Tea of your choice! (Mailed to you after the game)
Notes:
- Limited tickets are available for sale in each session, on a first-come-first-serve basis.
- Viewers without their sample kits can still tune into the livestream via JAPAN RAIL CAFE's Facebook.
- Delivery is limited to addresses in Singapore only. No-delivery zones like Sentosa, Tuas, etc may apply.
- The Sayama Tea Sample Kit will be delivered 2 days prior to the event. Please contact info_jrcafe@jreast.sg if you did not receive your delivery by 27 Mar, 10am.
- No refunds, cancellations, or changes to the delivery address are accepted after payment is completed.
- All personal information collected in this form will be used for this event only.
- For further inquiries, please contact info_jrcafe@jreast.sg
BONUS: Taste-tea treats by JAPAN RAIL CLUB
May's theme: So Much Matcha. (Image credit: JAPAN RAIL CLUB)
Now that you are equipped with a little more knowledge about Japanese tea, elevate your teatime with a tea-themed snack box by JAPAN RAIL CLUB. JAPAN RAIL CLUB is a membership-exclusive subscription service offered by JR East, bringing you snacks from all corners of Japan and shipped right to your doorstep! This May 2024, indulge in the "So Much Matcha" Omiyage Snack Box featuring matcha-licious snacks from other tea-famous regions, like Uji, Kyotanabe, and Nishio! Subscribe by 31 May 2024 with promo code MAYCHA15 at the checkout page to enjoy 15% off when you subscribe to a 12-month plan. Cheers!
This article is written in collaboration with the NPO Agriculture Support Team in Saitama.
Header image credit: NPO Agriculture Support Team in Saitama
Writer's profile: After half a decade in Japan, Eustacia returned to Singapore with a love for Japanese culture and Japanese tea. She's trying to spread the love of Japanese tea and to that end, visits Japan as often as possible to visit tea farmers and her friends.
Related Articles
JR Times Global Community
Latest Topics
