Blog Charaku

We wish a happy, healthy and prosperous 2012 to all our customers, family and friends.
We feel indebted to our international friends for all of the well wishes and support received since the Tohoku earthquake or the Great East Japan earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear power station meltdowns that occurred on March 11, 2011.
Life is still very difficult for the residents of the Iwate Prefecture and specifically the Sendai area which was impacted by the brunt of the disaster, especially those living in or close to Miyako. However Japanese people are close neighbours to disaster and cope with dignity, resourcefulness and empathy from their fellows. We can’t bring back the loss of loved ones and instantly recreate livelihoods and homes but we can offer our services, immediate supply needs and hope for the future.
At home, here in Sapporo, life has been kinder. Our Australian (‘Aussie’), style cafe is progressing well; the English language learning centre is a success and Japanese green tea sales are weathering the storm.
We opened the cafe at dawn to see the first sunrise of the year. It was a rewarding and optimistic experience.

Weight Loss – 22kg (49lbs) in 16 months
Some of you may remember my blog of July 27, last year, heralding what I thought then was the great achievement of losing 10kg in 3 months.
Thirteen months later I’m delighted to report a weight loss of 22kg. I now weigh in at a stable 87kg (192lbs), an ideal weight for my 195cm (6’5”) height.
I attribute this mainly to trading beverages from red wine and beer (which I still occasionally enjoy), to Japanese green tea.
Japanese green tea can’t take all the credit of course, though its regular drinking has helped to instill a certain discipline to my life. Other factors include a regular morning walk through the forest with Mr. Rooney, our American Cocker Spaniel, cutting snacks from my diet and becoming less sedentary by cooking in our newly opened café for a few hours a day.
Autumn (or fall, if you prefer)
“SEASON of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;” Keats
Autumn in Sapporo lives up to that magnificent observation. My morning walks through the forest are over a carpeted treasure of red, yellow, gold and brown leaves. The smell is pungent and the fungi abundant. The seasons are so important to the Japanese and their way of life. There is so much home grown produce here and as the seasons change so do the daily menus offering a variety of life that our grandparents so enjoyed.
So members and friends please continue to enjoy Japanese green tea and its health benefits and enjoy autumn, unless of course you’re ‘Downunder’ in which case enjoy your spring.
Ayers Rock Cafe
Yes, I know, I’ve been quiet for a few months.
Our new cafe venture is the reason. Our cafe is situated just outside of downtown Sapporo in Minami-ku (south ward); its half way up to Mt Moiwa, our local ski resort and affords a panoramic view from our windows and balcony of the mountains surrounding us. If you ever get to this beautiful part of the globe, maybe for winter sports or the ice sculptures each February please call in to say “Konnichiwa”, you’ll be regally treated and perhaps we can give you some good advice on what to do and where to visit to enhance your stay.

Charaku is pleased to present two new Houji-cha tea (roasted green tea) products.
Apart from Sencha, Houji-cha is another popular kind of green tea in Japan. Tea leaves for producing Houji-cha are usually late-harvested leaves or twigs. Compared to other kind of Japanese green teas, Houji-cha is dried at a high temperature and roasted on a charcoal fire, therefore it is characterised by its unique roast-aroma and its red-brown infusion. Because Houji-cha contains a low amount of catechin, it is no astringent but has a soothing taste. Houji-cha is especially favoured as an after-dinner drink in Japan.

Super Premium Houji-Cha
This tea is produced in Kyoto-Uji using Sencha tea leaves harvested in Watsuka and Asamiya (Kyoto). This is a super premium quality Houji-cha with strong roast aroma. Its superb aroma and fine taste has won this tea a fine reputation and it has been used for serving customers in famous and traditional Japanese style hotels and restaurants in Kyoto.

Premium Houji-cha
Produced in Kyoto-Uji. It has a very nice roasted aroma with a mild nutty flavour. This tea is suitable for a summer drink too, being chilled in fridge after brewing.

Don’t be disappointed.

A friendly reminder that Christmas Day is nearly here and time flies so fast at this time of the year so we would encourage you to place your order within the next few days to receive your tea or gift sets on time.

We’re delighted to announce that the winner of this fabulous handmade tea pot is Dr. Christopher Pierce of Portland, Oregon USA.




You can view his recipe for ‘Cha’ at Doc's Summer Thirst Quencher.

Dr Pierce goes on to say “I have found that you should get to know the strength and qualities of your green tea before accompanying it with other flavors. The delicious organic Gyokuro you carry conjures the flavors of freshly buttered asparagus and sea air. I am considering creating a Gyokuro marinade for lightly seared scallops. The buttery green nature of the tea will compliment the richness of the scallops. Mmm”

Look out for details of a new competition starting early next year.

Season’s greetings
Charaku wishes our members and friends a very Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous 2010!

Hurry! Time’s running out! Submit your green tea recipe to be in the running to win this exquisite hand-made tea pot.

Maybe you’ve baked some matcha cookies, confectionary, cakes or created your own drink using Japanese Green Tea as a base. Here’s a reminder of the competition from our Home Page:

Win this fabulous teapot pottered by the famous Tokoname Kyusu factory and valued at over us$100.
Simply email your Japanese green tea recipe to info@tea-charaku.com
The lucky winner will be decided on December 12th 2009 so you will receive the prize before Christmas. The best recipe in our opinion will win.

Here’s a recipe we trialled and enjoyed recently for Matcha Cheese Cake.

Ingredients:

-10 x plain tea biscuits, 40g of unsalted butter
-200g of cream cheese, 100g of granulated sugar, 2 eggs, 100g of full cream, 2tsp lemon juice, 40gm plain flour, 2tsp matcha powder

icing sugar to sprinkle over for decoration


Method:

1. Preheat Oven to 170C
2. Place biscuits in a plastic bag and crush to fine crumbs. Add melted butter, mix well and press into the bottom of a 15cm diameter cake tin.
3. Let cream cheese stand until soft then add sugar and mix well.
4. Add eggs, fresh cream and lemon juice continuing to mix well.
5. Sift flour and matcha together then fold into cream cheese mixture.
6. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 50-60 minutes. If the mixture browns too quickly cover with foil.
7. Allow to cool after cooking then refrigerate until chilled.
8. Decorate with sifted icing sugar.

Bon Appetite!

We’re so confident that you will enjoy and benefit from our Charaku Organic Sencha that we will happily mail you a 7gm sample package Free of Charge.

Simply email us at info@tea-charaku.com including your name and mailing address and expect to receive your Charaku Organic Sencha within 14 days. If you feel a family member or friend may like to try our tea you can add their mailing address too.

At long last we can proudly present to you our choice of what we consider the pick of organic Senchas.

It took the grower three years to overcome the difficulties of growing sufficient quantities to market in a completely chemical free and pest free environment.

Our product holds the certificate #6032 with CERES (Certification of Environmental Standards), under the status of organic. Charaku’s Organic Sencha is grown in Shizuoka, the homeland of tea in Japan where most Japanese green tea is produced. Shizuoka enjoys a mild climate, mountain spring water, rich soil and fresh air, perfect growing conditions for tea.

Charaku’s Organic Sencha offers a fresh “grassy” aroma, soothing flavor and mellow after-taste.

Purchase Charaku Organic Sencha from here.

There is sufficient evidence that Japanese Green Tea is good for your health (see Health Benifit ) and claims it prevents some forms of cancer (see Charaku blog March 31 2009 'Green Tea and Cancer Research').

Personally I think that Japanese Green Tea stands on its merits as a very pleasant beverage to relax with. However, I can report my own weight loss achievement of 10kgs in 3 months. How? First you have to want to lose weight and be serious about it. I started by substituting my evening relaxation with a fine Australian Shiraz or Cab. Sav., with a cup of Sencha or Gyokuro, this was easier to do than I thought. Then I doubled my walks with the dog (an American Cocker named ‘Rooney’), and guess what? As you begin to feel the weight loss, the walks become enjoyable. I substituted cookies and chocolate for fruit. Finally, I upped my interest in gardening, the gentlest of all exercise. Persistence is the key. The immediate effect was dramatic, about two kilos in a week, then there was a lull for 2-3 weeks which sets one wondering but soon the weight started to drip off again. The feeling of well-being is worth the small sacrifices I can vouch for that.

Doctor Christopher Pierce of Portland, OR submits

For a fresh light spin on my cool weather chai recipe I modify my usual masala chai recipe to use Japanese Green Tea, and less spices.

Ingredients in order of addition & times:

5-minute boil

1 1/2 quarts - filtered water, bring to a rolling boil
2 TBSPs - anise seeds
1 - cinnamon stick
1/4 - vanilla bean, sliced lengthwise, scrapped out
small pinch - whole white peppercorns
small pinch - cloves
small pinch - green cardamon pods cut open

next
1-minute boil
10 - passes over a grater of nutmeg
1 - ginger slice

remove from heat
Add 2 TBSPs - Japanese Green Tea (Charaku suggests 'Matcha' powder)
sweeten to taste with honey

optional: milk or soy milk to taste

Let sit for 3-5 minutes. Sip & enjoy.

Note: Charaku hasn't tried this recipe yet but thinks that two tablespoons of 'Matcha' maybe too much. We suggest you start with two teaspons and add to suit your taste.

It’s true. The much revered Japanese Green Tea can be fun,healthy and rewarding to bake with and chilled green tea is a refreshing summer drink. In fact Japanese food stores are brimming with confectionary flavoured with green tea and drink vending machines stock green tea amongst colas and other popular soft drinks.

This has motivated us to introduce a Japanese Green Tea recipe competition to inspire our members to experiment and share their experiences.

Win this fabulous teapot pottered by the renowned Tokoname Kyusu factory and valued at over US$100.


To be eligable to win simply send in your recipe using Japanese Green Tea to info@tea-charaku.com by December 5th. The lucky prize winner will be decided on December 12th.



To set the ball rolling we tried the following Matcha recipe last weekend with good results. If you have a sweet tooth the introduction of chocolate chips or icing may enhance the taste.


Matcha Muffins
You’ll need 10 x 5cm muffin cups

Ingrediants:
A) (Flour.........................150g
(Matcha......................1 ½ tablespoon
(Baking Powder.............5g

Eggs...........................3
Sugar..........................80g

B) (Vegetable oil..............65ml
(Milk........................... 65ml

Method
1) Preheat oven to 180C
2) Sift A) together
3) Warm a mixing bowl to 50-60C in water and beat eggs and sugar together. When the mixture feels like its reached body temperature whisk until it forms peaks.
4) Fold in the sifted ingredients A) and mix well.
5) Pour the mixture into the muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes.

Bon Appetite.