Japanese Tea & Kaze Mug - Organic Leaf Tea Gift Set

The set contains one handmade Kaze Mug and a selected Moya leaf tea: Sencha 60g, Genmaicha 60g, Kukicha 60g, Hojicha 60g, Bancha 60g, Wakoucha 60g.

KAZE MUG

The Kaze Mug is a handcrafted small mug made from stoneware clay. It is created by a small ceramic studio KOOE in Cracow as part of a limited series KOOE for MOYA. The finishing glaze used for the ceramics in this series is made based on old, traditional Japanese recipes. Each piece of stoneware is unique with its own natural and subtle variation. It is fired at a very high temperature of over 1300 providing safety and durability. Dimensions and colour may vary to a small degree as each mug is handcrafted on a potter’s wheel.

The Kaze Mug is designed for drinking leaf tea, but it can be used for other hot or cold drinks as well. Each Kasai  Mug is uniquely handcrafted on the potter’s wheel and therefore may differ slightly in appearance from the one depicted.

Volume: 200ml, Height: 9 cm, Diameter: 7 cm

Country of origin: Poland

Dishwasher safe

SENCHA: THE TASTE OF JAPANESE TRADITION

Sencha is the most popular tea in Japan and it is also the most famous green tea in the world. Its infusion has a mildly sweet and very refreshing flavour, with buttery, grassy notes and green-gold colour. The word „sencha” literally means „brewed over low heat” and it refers to the typical brewing of leaf tea that involves pouring hot water over dry leaves. This tea releases its best flavour when brewed with soft water with low pH. Moya Sencha no. 21 is organically cultivated on the island of Kyushu.

GENMAICHA: CULT RICE GREEN TEA

Genmaicha is a sweet, slightly nutty, aromatic, rusty-coloured tea. Its flavour – the one we know from sushi bars and Japanese restaurants – is exceptionally memorable. Legend has it that a servant to the Hakone shogun accidentally served his master tea with some stolen grains of rice that he had in his pocket. This mistake cost him his life, but the shogun liked the taste so much that he decided to include it in his daily diet. This is how genmaicha, today known also as „popcorn tea”, came about. It was once considered to be a drink of the lower classes, as people used to add cheap rice grains to increase the volume of pure sencha. Moya Genmaicha is organically cultivated on the island of Kyushu.

HOJICHA: ROASTED TEA FROM KYOTO

Organic hojicha is a roasted green tea with a toasty, smoky aroma, unique nutty-caramel flavour, and deep crimson colour. At first, the taste is surprising, but soon after it becomes addictive. The very unique taste of this tea, free of bitterness typical of other green teas, makes it a perfect alternative to black tea. The process of roasting the leaves was first performed in 1920 in Kyoto, where the name „hoji-cha” (ほうじ茶), meaning roasted tea, comes from.

KUKICHA: A TEA LIKE NO OTHER, MADE OF STEMS AND TWIGS

Kukicha is a light-shaded tea that has a mildly nutty flavour with a touch of honey taste and umami notes. It was invented in Japan, where the local farmers, after selling more valuable leaves and buds, used to brew their very own tea made of remaining stems and twigs. In Japanese, „kuki” means ”twig” and „cha” means “tea”. Moya Kukicha comes from organic cultivation on the island of Kyushu and has a special, slightly stronger, aroma as a result of delicate roasting. This is why kukicha is often used to make cold-brew tea.

BANCHA: JAPANESE EVERYDAY TEA

Bancha is a green tea with a golden-yellow tint. It has a slightly acidic flavour and a distinct walnutty aftertaste, which is a result of the high content of tannins. The name bancha (玄米茶) derives from the words „ban” and „cha”. In Japanese, „cha” means „tea”, while „ban” can be understood as something „daily”, „popular” or „late”. The last meaning refers to late crops of Bancha leaves that are harvested from the lower parts of tea bushes. Moya Bancha is organically cultivated on the island of Kyushu.

WAKOUCHA: BLACK TEA FROM JAPAN

The taste of this black-leaf tea is truly exquisite, slightly flowery, with noticeable honey and spice undertones. The term „kou-cha” 紅茶 can be translated as „a tea of crimson colour”. Such designation was coined thanks to Japanese soft water, which would turn dark red with a hint of blue when infused with black tea’s leaves. That’s also why, in the past, wakoucha was referred to as „red tea”. When brewed in water of medium hardness, more typical of European countries, the tea takes on a colour of dark amber. Moya Wakoucha is cultivated and processed in the Mie region on the island of Honshu.