This week I took a break from booze and featured my favorite tea company called Ippodo Tea Co. They are located in the Nakagyo Ward, just south of the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, Japan. They have been in business for over 300 years. Rihei Watanabe opened a tea shop called Omiya in 1717, which was then renamed Ippodo in 1846 by request of one of their Imperial family customers, Prince Yamashina. The meaning of the name is ‘preserve one’ and that’s exactly what the Prince hoped and intended. He wished that Ippodo would forever exist to bring fine teas to its customers. It is still owned by the Watanabe family today.
In this video, I focused on their One-Pot Teabag series. They were easily purchased through Ippodo’s USA and Canadian online store. Shipping is free over $39 which is a nice gesture.
I originally tasted Ippodo tea at an exquisite minimalist restaurant called Kajitsu in NYC. They feature vegan Shojin Ryori cuisine originally developed by Zen Buddhist monks in the 13th century. I have enjoyed many interesting beverages at this restaurant (their tasting menu changes with the seasons), but one of my favorite discoveries is the barley tea they offer cold brew style. I was already a big fan of mugicha since being introduced to it iced cold by a friend during a hot New York City summer. The one at Kajitsu was from Ippodo and it was otherworldy. Rich caramel and toasted barley aromas pair with a broad silky texture. The tea comes in their One-Pot style as well. Silly me didn’t buy a bag of it for this video because I wanted to check out all of their other offerings. Only a few years back I was unable to purchase Ippodo tea unless I visited Japan myself or went to their location in NYC. Now with their online store, I can have their products delivered anytime which is incredible!
The Kuki Sencha tea was all stems, but still gave off an elevated sophistication this type of tea is associated with. It was mellow, with subtle leafy vegetal notes. The Gyokuro is a green tea picked from plants that have been grown under shade which maximizes umami. It definitely had a more buttery texture than the sencha, but had less character overall. It was very pleasing and easy to drink. I made all of these teas both hot and cold brew to taste the differences. The Gyokuro was more powerful cold, but more pleasing warm.
Next was the Kuki Hojicha, all stems but roasted to perfection. Based on how the hot vs. cold brews tasted I think this tea shows much better warm. The roasted wild tea flavor with a strong earthiness matches so well to a higher temperature and is a pleasure to drink.
The last tea I tasted was Iribancha, a locally famous Kyoto tea. It is made in the large one-pot style due to high demand. Based on the instructions on the back of the back, it seemed as though it wasn’t recommended cold, which is incorrect. After reading more about this tea on Ippodo’s website, they do recommend it chilled, but you have to brew it with hot water first. When I opened the bag, I couldn’t believe the intensity of the aromas. It smells just like tobacco leaves! Anyone who has an aversion to cigarettes may have a hard time with this one. It was extremely smoky and bonfire-like. I much prefer this tea served hot! The cold rendition reminded me of watery ashtray. This is by no means a review of low quality though, quite the opposite actually! For someone who enjoys this type of tea, I can guarantee that this is one of the best of its type. It had tons of flavor and aroma, it just doesn’t suit my personal taste. I recommend trying this tea at least once to experience a historical beverage from Kyoto that’s practically unknown to foreigners!