Mellow Monk's Green Tea Blog

Aso Zen video is released

2015-05-23T20:39:00.001-07:00

Aso City's Zen program, which certifies the city's best natural products, has released this video showcasing the area's beauty and its dedication to tradition. Our grower–artisan Koji Nagata, incidentally, is one of the Zen 100.

—Mellow Monk

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Kyusu from Sagara in Kyushu

2015-05-16T01:53:00.000-07:00

One of our grower–artisans, Mr. Watanabe, in Sagara, Kumamoto, was kind enough to include this lovely maple-themed kyusu in a recent shipment of green tea.

Instead of a tea basket inside, this single-serving kyusu has a built-in mesh screen at the base of the spout. This way, you can hold the kyusu by the handle and really swirl the tea around for thorough steeping.

Sagara, by the way, is right next door to Hitoyoshi, known as Japan's "little Kyoto."

—Mellow Monk

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Rural tractor

2015-05-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

A photo of an old tractor in Aso, from our Flickr album.

—Mellow Monk

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Kumamoto Kumamon sake

2015-04-18T13:49:00.001-07:00

Straight outta Kumamoto: a set of Kumamon sake and plum wine from Zuiyo.

—Mellow Monk

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Mellow Monk sponsors Love Is Bald's Chilibowl fundraiser again

2015-04-11T22:44:00.002-07:00

Mellow Monk proudly sponsored the 2nd Annual Chilibowl fundraiser held by the great people at Love Is Bald. Below are the cookoff finalists. (Mellow Monk participated not in person, unfortunately, but by donating a gift certificate to be auctioned off as part of the fundraiser.)

—Mellow Monk

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Four new Kiva loans

2014-11-02T01:00:00.000-08:00

We just added four new loans to our Kiva portfolio: for Dismus, Erick, Hon's Group, and Resineros De San José De Cañas Group.

Kiva is a wonderful way to support independent go-getters in agriculture, small business, and other fields all over the world. Join the party!

—Mellow Monk

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Tea basket and an oversized mug: perfect fit

2014-10-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I like to brew a lot of tea at once and enjoy it over a large temperature range as it cools. This oversized mug holds a bit over 500 mL (almost 17 ounces), so it holds more than some small teapots. I bought it at a festival bazaar in Aso City. On a different trip I got this stainless-steel tea basket (93 mm in diameter, 3.6 inches), which is of the kind for putting inside teapots — and at 93 mm in diameter, this size is definitely for large teapots. I was pleasantly surprised, therefore, to find out that the basket fits Goldilocks perfectly into the mug. A perfect match, brought together by tea.

—Mellow Monk

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500-year-old mindfulness

2014-09-29T17:20:00.001-07:00

Long considered one of the three most beautiful scenic views in Japan, Amanohashidate is a large, tree-covered sandbar in Miyazu. The image below is a slice of a 1.78-meter-wide calligraphic painting of the scene drawn by Sesshū Tōyō (1420–1506) near the end of his life, at age 82.

(Flickr user RasMarley offers an excellent analysis of the painting. To read it, scroll down a bit after opening the page.)

Note the amazing sense of perspective he creates with his mastery of light and shade (notan). He captures the feeling of calm that often overcomes one once the initial thrill of the sheer splendor wears off. This is an excellent example of how art can filter out the other emotions of an experience and make us mindful of the peacefulness it can induce.

—Mellow Monk

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Tea artisan helps "brand" Aso

2014-09-11T19:49:00.001-07:00

Tea artisan Koji Nagata, who crafts our Top Leaf and other teas, was recently featured in an episode of the Japanese TV show Dawn of Gaia. The episode of the business show presents examples of the "branding" — in the marketing sense — of small regions that are relatively unknown in Japan but which have amazing products to offer consumers beyond their traditional reach.

Koji appears in the show's look at ongoing efforts by the city of Aso to transform what has traditionally been a scattered collection of independent farmers and other producers under a single recognizable brand — "Zen." ("Zen" is from the second half of the word shizen, which means "nature" or "natural.")

The "Zen" strategy is essentially a best-of-the-best approach that includes actively certifying its member producers as well as induction into an elite showcase titled "The Zen 100," of which Koji and his tea are inductees.

Koji is shown hard at work in his office in an episode of the Japanese business show Dawn of Gaia.

—Mellow Monk

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Bottled zen

2014-08-29T16:57:00.000-07:00

Tea artisan extraordinaire Koji Nagata, who crafts our Top Leaf and other teas, was recently chosen to supply his artisanal tea for bottling under Aso City's "Zen" brand — actually a showcase for the area's most delectable agricultural products. Koji had previously been featured — and certified — by the Zen program.

Congratulations, Koji. One taste of your tea shows that the folks at Zen — and the judges at the North American Tea Championship and, of course, Mellow Monk's customers — know a good cuppa when they taste it.

—Mellow Monk

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Just-Right Roast takes 1st place yet again in the NATC

2014-06-21T15:17:00.002-07:00

Our Just-Right Roast has won first place in its class in the 2014 North American Tea Championship. This makes it three years in a row for this amazing lightly roasted iced green tea, made by the amazing grower-artisans Kazuo and Mariko Watanabe.

You can see the Watanabe-sans in action in clips of Kyushu, Where Japan's Green Tea Grows.

—Mellow Monk

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Mellow Monk, proud sponsors of UC Irvine's Women's Volleyball

2014-05-25T03:07:00.001-07:00

Mellow Monk recently became a sponsor of UC Irvine's Women's Volleyball. The gals tweeted this photo of them enjoying a nice cuppa of our tea. Perfect for pre-training warmup or post-training refreshment.

Go Anteaters!

—Mellow Monk

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Tea integrated in experimental music recital

2014-04-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

Mellow Monk customer Tristan served our tea at his undergraduate degree recital of experimental music at Oberlin Conservatory. His work, towards a degree in TIMARA (technology in music and related arts), was titled Accumulation 02.

Tristan writes:

Your tea was an excellent thing for the audience to gather around before sitting down to listen to a minimal and meditative performance. It was also relevant for me to share along with my music because I definitely consumed a lot of Mellow Monk over the course of the composition process.

The ceramic mugs in which the tea was served were handmade by a close friend. The photo collage below conveys some of the wonderfully mellow atmosphere there.

Congratulations on your recital, Tristan. Everyone at Mellow Monk is proud to have played our own small part in your work.

Here is his Soundcloud page — a perfect soundtrack for relaxing with green tea.

—Mellow Monk

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We made four more Kiva loans

2014-03-17T19:58:00.002-07:00

We just added four new microloans to our Kiva portfolio. Funds for our Kiva loans come from our tea sales, so if you are a Mellow Monk customer, you are helping, too. Thank you, everyone.

These hard-working independent farmers are Armand, in Albania (top); Francis's Group, in Kenya (middle); Paul, in Kenya (bottom left); and Marina, in Honduras (bottom right).

—Mellow Monk

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Fairphone puts fairness first — without breaking the bank

2014-03-08T20:59:00.000-08:00

Fairphone makes a "seriously cool" smartphone that is free of conflict minerals — metals like tungsten bought from, say, mining operations controlled by warlords in a conflict-torn nation. Cutting out such unethical sources from the supply chain is intended to change the entire system of making such devices.

Smartphone CEO Bas van Abel explains his initiative in a BBC radio interview and in this video.

Amazingly, the Fairphone isn't as expensive as many would think — only 325 euros (about $450).

In another interview, van Abel said Fairphone has been so positively received that the company snagged preorders for 25 thousand units before manufacturing even started. Not only will Fairphone sell more of its own phones as it catches on, but bigger manufacturers may decide to get in on the action — which is also what Fairphone aims for with this "fair" initiative.

Fairphone is just one example of what is possible when we consumers put our money where are values are.

—Mellow Monk

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Snow on the tea leaves

2014-02-14T10:51:00.002-08:00

Koji Nagata, our grower–artisan in Aso, just sent us this photo of some of his tea plants covered in the heavy snow that just fell there. Tea plants need a cold winter in order to hibernate thoroughly, saving up their delicious energy for vibrant growth in the spring.

A deep winter's rest
A cold wind blows around me
Snow on the tea leaves

—Mellow Monk

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Welcome, Maldives

2014-01-22T09:43:00.001-08:00

We recently received our first-ever order from the Republic of the Maldives, a very mellow-looking place. Check out the capital, Malé. I am sure you all join me in saying, Welcome to the Mellow Monk family, Republic of the Maldives!

—Mellow Monk

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Three new reviews of Kuma Green 1228

2013-12-08T19:59:00.001-08:00

Three thorough and thoughtful tea lovers were kind enough to review our Kuma Green 1228 tea: Dani Pigeon at Sage & Spice (who wrote, "It makes me think of a springtime afternoon just as winter lets go ...timid greens and flowers springing up once the snow melts"), Nicole Martin at Tea for Me Please ("If you could bottle the smell of spring this tea is what it would smell like"), and Kate at Sagaci-tea ("Complex and refreshing").

Kuma Green 1228 brewed by Dani in a lovely frosted-glass cup.

A potful of Kuma Green 1228 brewed by Nicole.

—Mellow Monk

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Mellow Monk tea artisan featured on Aso City website

2013-12-06T17:24:00.002-08:00

Koji Nagata, the grower-artisan behind the award-winning Top Leaf, Yuzu Dream, and other teas of ours, is one of the local artisans featured [PDF] at Aso Zen, where Aso City showcases the dedicated, hardworking people behind the many agricultural products for which the area is famous.

The text in the photo says, "Crafting a flavor that is consistent year after year — that is what I devote myself to."

You don't have to see Koji and his family hard at work in the fields or their tea workshop to see this devotion; you can taste it in every sip of their tea.

—Mellow Monk

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Kuma Green 1228 reviewed at My Japanese Green Tea

2013-11-29T00:27:00.000-08:00

Ricardo at My Japanese Green Tea has posted his review of our Kuma Green 1228. Thank you, Ricardo. We raise our teacups to your passion for tea!

—Mellow Monk

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Water, temperature, and the personal journey

2013-11-24T02:12:00.003-08:00

Tea is personal — there is no objectively correct way to prepare it. Rather, the goal is to find the magic combination of water temperature, steeping time, and leaf-to-water ratio that produces the infusion that tastes best to you.

When we give a recommended water temperature, that is what the grower-artisan believes will bring out the flavor, aroma, and color that he or she has striven for.

In other words, over the years, when a grower fine-tunes the many variables of tea crafting — harvest time, steaming time, and the intricacies of shaping and drying, for instance — he has done so according to how the tea tastes when brewed with water at that temperature.

But most growers also understand that tea is a personal journey. No two artisans will brew the same tea in exactly the same way, and tea aficionados endlessly debate such matters, too. But can anyone tell you that you are brewing a tea incorrectly, if you like it better that way than when brewed according to that person's rules? Feel free to experiment!

However, to have a baseline for that experimentation, I recommend first trying the tea as brewed according to the artisan's guidelines.

Then, let the journey begin. The treasure at the end will be worth it.

A natural spring in Aso, Japan.

—Mellow Monk

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JusTea's top-notch tea—and noble mission

2013-09-21T15:05:00.001-07:00

I ordered some Kenyan farmer-direct black tea from JusTea Indiegogo campaign, and it is absolutely delicious: a spicy, smoky aroma; rich red color; and full-spectrum, pleasantly tangy flavor, without being bitter. It is the best black tea I've had in a long time.

This wonderful tea is the result of JusTea's dedicated efforts to put more profit in the farmer's pockets. They work directly with the growers, for instance setting up "cooperative kitchens" where they can craft their leaves into tea themselves, instead of simply selling the leaf to tea giants at low prices. Tea blogger Nicole Martin interviewed JusTea's Grayson and Paul Bane about this mission.

Their delicious tea is undeniable proof that when dedicated growers connect directly with dedicated tea drinkers, magical things can happen.

—Mellow Monk

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Shaded Leaf's trophy

2013-09-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo that our Shaded Leaf green tea won at this year's North American Tea Championship.

—Mellow Monk

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5 more Kiva loans

2013-09-11T14:27:00.002-07:00

Mellow Monk just expanded its Kiva portfolio: We made five new loans today! The collage below shows the hard-working, well-deserving lenders. Everyone at Mellow Monk is rooting for you all!

—Mellow Monk

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Review of 3 Tea Horse teas

2013-08-30T09:36:00.002-07:00

I recently had the privilege of trying three teas from London-based Tea Horse. The first, shown in its glory below, is Panyong Golden Needle.

The tea was light and refreshing, with smoky, nutty notes. I brewed it on the strong side — as I like most of my teas — but doing so did not make the infusion harsh at all. Instead, the cocoa and caramel notes were brought to the fore. Here are the dry leaves just out of the packet:

Here are a couple of shots of Tea Horse's Korean Green.

Korean Green was also light and mild, a very unassuming tea, not overly earthy at all. Unlike the Japanese greens to which I am accustomed, however, this tea has a hint of a fermented flavor profile, similar to a Chinese green or a lightly infused oolong.

Last but not least is Tea Horse's genmaicha. Here it is in my cup and right out of the packet.

Tea Horse's genmaicha was also mild yet flavorful, a very accessible tea with a nice combination of nutty genmai notes blending well with the green tea's melony sweetness and a hint of savoriness.

All in all, I had a wonderfully pleasing afternoon with Tea Horse's teas.

—Mellow Monk

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