First ‘pocket tea’ batch of the year!
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Went out to take some tea field photos and found some wild growing tea bushes along the road with perfect delicate young shoots ready to pick!
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Now the dilemma of what tea I’m going to make with this mini batch…
Thanks for all your amazing feedback & enthusiasm! 3 spots left for this unique trip to Malawi. Join us in September if you want to be part of it. Drop us a DM if you want to learn more and secure your spot.
#teamaker #japanesetea #malawitea #africantea #exchange #knowledgesharing #teatourism #teacraft #satemwa #origintrip
Returned home to Sonogi late last night (despite slight travel stress due to there being no buses back from Fukuoka towards Saga or Nagasaki - thank goodness for one solitary train heading in my direction & a friendly taxi driver driving me & my suitcases the last hour home).
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I’m allowing myself a brief moment of looking back & appreciation for the incredible Europe tour the past 2 months and all the absolutely heartwarming people I met.
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7 countries and an impossible number to count of cherished encounters, from old friends to new. My heart is full.
A humongous thank you to everyone I connected with and spent time with these last two months.
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I unpacked my suitcases and brought out immediately my new ceramic treasures:
- gorgeous pitcher from @fabiennehaber , a tangible memory from this year’s @prague.tea.fest
- mesmerising porcelain cup from @davidlouveau , a generous present from @teatripper , celebrating our lovely tea session at @lanse_teahouse with Olivier
Sipping on a delicious Yiwu 2005 ‘Double Lions’ sheng pu from @meetea.cz that reminds me a little with its pine wood & resin notes of the wonderful mossy pine forests in Helsinki; my last stop this past weekend before returning home.
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There’s too many people to thank and mention, but just briefly, sending extra love to the following:
💚 @muyo_finland & @teemaatea
💙 @postcardteas
💛 @londonteafriends
🧡 @cspaceberlin , @deepintheblueblau & @giselasmartertea
❤️ @unearthed.gallery & @yoshida_chaen
🩵 @fluffies.and.tea@prague.tea.fest
💜 @unraveltea & @tearistasofie
💚 @meetea.cz
🩷 @mochiko_jp & @_silvertips_
💙 @itcacademy & @martine_teasharing
💛 @theteacirclebrussels & @teatripper
🧡 @teekulttuurifestivaali
Last Saturday was quality time at the Lan Se with two tea friends : Cinzia (@teatripper ) and Marjolein (@_me.mar_ ) 💕
Tea festivals are always pretty intens and highly frustrating as you get nearly no time to discuss with the other exhibitors… So that finally being able to spend 2 hours discussing and drinking tea was just pure bliss 🙏
Marjolein : have a safe trip back to Japan 💕
Cinzia : see you soon 😉
#lanseteahouse #teafriends #gongfucha #oliviernuttens #teahouse
Tea tells stories from around the world, stories of makers, terroir, and origin.
Like wine, great tea is shaped by experience, knowledge, passion, and craftsmanship, rooted in traditions and processing methods unique to each region.
What happens when two tea-making families from opposite sides of the world come together?
Imagine Japanese tea masters exchanging skills with tea makers from Malawi, different cultures united by a shared devotion to the leaf. No borders, nothing lost in translation, just tea speaking its universal language.
Join us in Malawi in early September 2026 for a unique intercultural workshop. Participate in this rare exchange between the @yoshida_chaen family (Japan) and the @satemwa family (Malawi) and witness the cross-pollination. Discover why specific leaves are plucked from a single bush, take part in the processing with your own hands, and taste the results of your craft. Learn through the interaction of tea makers with entirely different backgrounds and understand how each decision in the process shapes the final flavour.
Step into this innovative experiment in collaboration with @global_japanese_tea & @_me.mar_@ikedokitea
Cross borders, share knowledge, let the tea speak and become part of the story.
Spots are limited. Reach out via email or send us a DM to receive more information on how to secure your spot.
#yoshida #satemwa #japanesetea #malawitea #teaexchange #teatour #malawitea #teamakers #workshop #learningbydoing #africantea #fusiontea #interculturallearning #crosspollination #teatourism
🌿 Ikedoki Tea × Yoshida Chaen — Nagasaki vs Ibaraki (Japan guest workshop @unearthed.gallery )
On Sunday, 15 February, we’re hosting a special guest workshop at UNEARTHED: Yoshida Chaen x Ikedoki Tea — a collaborative tasting format built around two small and fairly unknown tea regions on the opposite sides of Japan.
Your hosts will be
Hiroki Yoshida @0830_hy tea farmer at Yoshida-Chen @yoshida_chaen (son of 6th generation tea farmer Masahiro Yoshida)
Marjolein Rajmakers @_me.mar_ from Ikedokitea @ikedokitea (tea project based in Nagasaki, Japan)
This is a tasting-driven session, focused on regional character and processing styles — and we’ll also lean into tea powders (beyond classic matcha).
When: Sunday, 15 Feb — 14:00–17:00 (3 hours)
Price: 49€ p.P.
Format: guided tasting, small group, plenty of time for questions
Afterwards: a small selection will be available to purchase (including some powders)
Ibaraki Teas by Yoshida-Chaen (A historic tea farm with 187 years of tradition in “Sashima” Japans most northern tea growing region):
Award-winning Wakocha: Izumi Black Teas
Signature Sencha and experimental Oolong tea made by Hiroki-san
Nagasaki Tea powders on the table (brought by Marjolein / Ikedoki & Iki):
Tamaryokucha powder
Hojicha and baisen koucha (roasted black) powders
Iri-Matcha (milled from Tencha made with the Iri-Mushi process)
If you’re curious how “Nagasaki vs Ibaraki” tastes in the cup — this is the most direct way to experience it.
📍 UNEARTHED Gallery, Munich
📅 Sunday Feb 15th 2pm - 5pm
Language: English
#teatasting #ibaraki #nagasaki #japanesetea
This amazing lady will be giving a masterclass on Japanese tea on Tuesday, February 10th, at Museum Joure.
I know Marjolein from our tea journey in Japan back in 2018. At the invitation of the Japan Tea Export Council, we had the chance to visit tea plantations in Shizuoka and Kagoshima. An unforgettable trip!
In 2020, Marjolein came to my aid when I couldn't travel to Sri Lanka with a film crew to make a documentary about tea. And she did a great job!
And now, she’s coming to Museum Joure to share everything about Japanese tea from the Nagasaki region. Will you join us?
For more information and tickets visit: www.museumjoure.nl/agenda
#theeworkshop #tea #thee #japan #matcha
Unforgettable 4 days tea roadtrip Kyushu visiting exciting tea farmers and enjoying extremely beautiful scenery of tea and rice fields, forests, foggy mountains, rivers with waterfalls and autumn coloured trees (kōyō). Accompanied by wonderful travelling partner @_me.mar_ Thank you to all the welcoming farmers and tea people along the winding roads of Kyushu 🙏
#teatravel #tearoadtrip #teafriends #japanesetea #kyushu #koujou #japaninautumn🍁
Time rushes by so fast, it seems like a distant fairytale that I was in China this August for a tea training course with the CTSS (Chinese Tea Science Society).
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Extremely grateful to @wen.zhuo.liu for initiating and leading a first online tea evaluation together with @alicia.jeanne , @teawithmaren & Philipp to practice tea evaluation skills.
Tea under scrutiny today: Enshi Yulu
(Chinese steamed green tea)
Weekend homework: find some (abandoned field) tea leaves to handpick and experiment making summer black tea!
So much to learn, and still feel like I have no idea what I need to do: what controls which outcome.
But there’s only one way to learn: get hands on!
(And ask friends for advice!)
There’s something special about meeting someone just as tea-obsessed as you are. That instant connection, the excitement to share what you’ve been working on, and the mutual understanding, it’s a reminder of how powerful a shared passion can be. 🌱
Guest : @_me.mar_
🎧 Find the Tea People podcast through the link in bio.
#tea #teapodcast #podcast #peopleoftea #hojicha #japanesetea #teafarmer #teafriends #teaculture
Some tea memories linger not because of the flavour, but because of the people we shared them with.
It’s in the quiet generosity, the unexpected hospitality, the conversations over a shared pot, those are the moments that stay with us.
What’s one tea encounter you’ll never forget? 🍵
Guest : @_me.mar_
🎧 Catch the rest of the podcast episode through the link in bio.
#tea #teapodcast #podcast #peopleoftea #sencha #greentea #teafriends #teaculture #tealover #teaaddict #teabrewing #teacommunity #coldbrewtea
