“It will take two to three hours once I start talking about bancha”, says Nobuhiko Ikematsu (28), the representative of Furyu. The shop opened on October, 2013, in order to spread bancha tea that was once enjoyed commonly by local people. Inside a cozy shop, teas such as green tea and black tea, as well as blended herb teas are found.
For example, “Batabatacha” drank in Toyama Prefecture. This is a rare fermented tea in Japan and is prepared by whisking the tea to create foam with a special tea whisk made by combining two whisks. About 20 kinds of tea, including unique and rare tea, can be found in the shop. To attract more young people to drink tea, Ikematsu-san is passionate about developing new products.
New product named “Chanpon-cha ちゃんぽん茶” was born from a proposal by a client in Nagasaki city. It is a blend of lemongrass and hojicha. The refreshing flavor goes well with chanpon (a famous ramen-like noodle soup from Nagasaki) as well as other heavy and oily food.
“Omusubi-cha おむすび茶” that goes well with light meal such as onigiri (rice balls) and sandwiches is also new. Normally, tea leaves are steamed but leaves used in this tea is made by mixing pan-fired tea and hojicha. Beautiful golden-yellow color is the signature of this tea and the toasty nutty flavor enriches the food that is eaten with the tea.
He is planning on start selling ochazuke seasoning as well. Inside the shop is a table where you can enjoy “tea talk”. It will be a nice experience hearing the stories behind each local teas from Ikematsu-san.
(Translated by Mariko from the original article on right).
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