Updating the Way Japanese Tea Is Presented and Enjoyed

A specialist shop built around the axes of "roasting" and "blending," offering new ways to enjoy Japanese tea. Japanese people have a heightened sensitivity to seasons, and attention and prices traditionally concentrate on the shincha new-tea season in early summer. Blended tea was born to shift that structure and draw attention throughout the year. Drawing on his experience as a bartender, Shinya Sakurai blends Japanese tea with seasonal ingredients using the sensibility of a cocktail maker. He releases 24 new blends per year, themed around the 24 solar terms. The tea salon also offers "tea sake" — tea leaves steeped in spirits — and tea courses.