On the long journey.

Did you travel this May Day? Did you go to a bustling metropolis? Or did you stay at home watching [Ode to Joy, Descendants of the Sun...]? There are countless great places to visit...

Why not invite a few friends to the tea garden to enjoy the mountains and waters, giving your eyes and body a little holiday...

As a member of the matcha family, I want to tell you that tea gardens in April and May are really popular because we Mingye people all go there, along with a group of experienced Japanese tea farmers we invite every year.

Do you know about 'matcha' and 'tencha'?

Remember, if someone mentions 'tencha' in the future, don't say you don't know it; it's the raw material for matcha. Time is limited, so I'll just mention two keywords: 'covering' and 'steaming'.

When I was a child, I used to run back and forth in the tea garden without realizing that tea leaves also need shade like girls do.

It turns out that shading can protect the 'skin'. Can the bright green be described as 'green and shiny'?

When the tea leaves initially grow to 'two leaves and a bud', black shading film is used to cover the 'young fresh leaves'. The purpose of shading is to enhance chlorophyll, carotenoids, tea polyphenols, and other nutrients. This process is called 'covering'.

Most of our domestic green tea processing is pan-fried green, which has a strong aroma but is not easy to preserve, and I personally feel that the soup color is somewhat yellow.

The method for making tencha uses steam to kill green leaves, which not only preserves the green color of fresh leaves but also retains a large amount of nutrients in the tea. However, this is definitely a specialized skill that only experienced masters working in tea gardens can achieve through years of accumulated experience. The secret to success must include 'effort'.

Every inch of land nurtures a tea seedling, and every tea leaf embodies their sweat. Please cherish the labor of the workers.

Even under the scorching sun, they are willing to...

Because yesterday's sweat has finally brought today's harvest.

'Those years - your tea stories', at that moment, we just need to 'listen closely', which is the best way to honor the passage of time.

'Film freeze - tea tasting' - let us quietly enjoy these moments. Eyes, nose, mouth are all involved, and we must use our 'hearts'. In this fast-paced city, let us slowly taste again and again with our hearts.

Depending on the daily climate and the fresh leaves picked, as well as the tea-making process, the final quality of 'tencha' will also vary. But like life, we need to stick to that original intention and keep improving!