Workshop 1 | Tea & Regionality

From September, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles presents Sip & Savor: Japanese Tea Culture Exploration, a multi-part workshop style-series of explorations of Japanese tea. Each unique session will guide guests through tastings and sensory evaluations to learn and discern the differences between various Japanese teas. With deepened knowledge and experience about brewing techniques and thoughtful pairings, guests will discover new depths of Japanese tea and how to incorporate it into their daily lives. Each session will also employ a unique theme or lens through which to further explore and understand Japanese tea and culture, providing insight into topics such as tea and regionality, tea and Zen, and emerging trends in Japanese tea.

This series will provide guests with a curriculum that comprises experiential tasting and group work interwoven with guided learning. Each session can be enjoyed as a standalone experience, but guests who would like to extend their journey across multiple sessions will find that each will present different teas and pairings, knowledge and techniques of tea brewing, and insight to Japanese culture through the lens of tea.

During the first half of each workshop, guests will learn about, taste and experience both chashitsu, or formal Japanese tea culture (with its focus on omotenashi, or serving tea for guests, paired with seasonal wagashi, or Japanese sweets) as well as chanoma (more casual and daily tea culture enjoyed with family and friends, with casual pairings).

During the latter half of each workshop, guests will learn how to brew their own perfect cup of tea utilizing various specialized tea implements. Through these experiences we seek to share ways to enjoy authentic Japanese tea in a manner that fits with our Southern California lifestyle. The second half of each workshop will focus on the session’s specific theme.

Workshop 1 | Tea & Regionality

Similar to the concept of “terroir” in winemaking, the physical landscape where Japanese tea is cultivated has historically shaped the types of tea produced. During this inaugural workshop, participants will embark on a journey through the different regional nuances of Japanese tea, learning the intricate interplay of flavors influenced by geography, geology, and climate. Through collaborative sensory assessments and thoughtful discussions, guests will learn how to compare and contrast the distinctive profiles of diverse teas.

After each session, guests will receive a take-home packet of tea that was featured in class to brew and share with friends.

About the Instructor

Tsubasa Sano of Engawa Kissa
Tsubasa Sano, the instructor for this series, holds the prestigious accreditation of Japanese Tea Instructor — a benchmark achieved by less than 30% of applicants and widely recognized for its exacting standards for deep academic knowledge as well as applied skills related to Japanese tea.

As “Engawa Kissa,” Tsubasa pops up around LA as a traveling café that offers Japanese tea and a variety of blended teas.

Read more.

Per Tsubasa, “Tea is an important element in my life that teaches us a sense of belonging, exciting encounters, the beauty of human nature, existence, and expressions, and communication. I travel and offer mainly Japanese tea in different parts of the city to deliver what tea has taught me.”

Using her background in editing and product planning, Tsubasa also works in tea catering, product development, editorial, tea parties, promotion, and tea import.