Japanese Green Tea

• [New & Limited] Matcha Bowls / Accessories (Spring and Summer)
• Shincha News Flash! (Around April 11)
• This Month's Tea - Tasting Sets
• [Recommended] - Konacha (Limited/ Now Available)
• [Mother's Day Gifts] How About Hibiki-an's Gifts?
• [New] YOHKAN (sweet bean jelly)

Dear Sir and Madam,

We at Hibiki-an THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your continued patronage and support. We are pleased to offer useful information for your healthy life and continued enjoyment of Japanese green tea. In this issue, we talk about 'Matcha Bowls / Accessories (New and Limited)'.

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[New & Limited] Matcha Bowls / Accessories (Spring and Summer)

We have arranged for 10 limited edition, and two new Matcha Starter Sets. The 10 limited edition Matcha Bowl are all available only this spring and summer season.
Some of the items are designed with modern, sophisticated style, while others use traditional handcrafted techniques for a more traditional design.
We have chosen items that are of exceptional quality yet reasonable in price. They will certainly enrich and enhance your green moment.

[Limited] HAJIRAI (handcrafted Matcha Bowl): US$185.00 HAJIRAI of this name means bashfulness in Japanese. White glaze and pink color on the base, both outside and inside, and its unique form, remind us of the blush of a maiden. It also reminds us of the breezy and carefree springtime...

[Limited] MUGEN SAKURA (handcrafted Matcha Bowl): US$185.00 This Matcha bowl is graceful and dignified. The combination of the paintings and the decoration of gold brings an extremely elegant atmosphere. The harmony and contrast of natural soil and the elegant decoration are very rare and unique...

[Limited] ORIBE MENTORI (handcrafted Matcha Bowl): US$110.00 ORIBE is a green color used in traditional pottery. MENTORI describes the surfaces created by carving away the clay. The traditional green color glaze, ORIBE green, is named after historical tea master, Oribe Furuta...

[Limited] HANA KESSHO GIN FUJI (handcrafted Matcha Bowl): US$106.00 This porcelain Matcha Bowl creates an aura of elegance and unique pleasant cooling sensation. HANA of this name means flower and KESSHO means crystal in Japanese. This item is finished by the technique called Crystal glaze...

[Limited] AYAME (handcrafted Matcha Bowl): US$93.00 AYAME of this name means iris in Japanese. Traditional drawing patterns on this Matcha Bowl are dynamically and elegantly shaped with a unique and ingenious form. Orange patches called GOHONDE deepen the atmosphere...

[Limited] KYO no HARU (handcrafted Matcha Bowl): US$85.00 KYO of this name means KYOTO and HARU means spring in Japanese. SAKURA cherry blossoms, painted on this Matcha Bowl, are well-loved flowers, symbolizing springtime, in Japan. Considering the price and quality, this Matcha bowl is an outstanding value...

[Limited] IRABO (handcrafted Matcha Bowl): US$85.00 This Matcha bowl is one of the most traditional and standard called IRABO CHAWAN. This style features a yellow IRABO glaze and the typical form called IDO GATA...

[Limited] GEPPAKUYU (handcrafted Matcha Bowl): US$85.00 This Matcha Bowl has a tranquil, elegant, and a little cute atmosphere, and when held in both hands, creates a calming effect. Matcha Bowl having such character is quite rare, but sought after...

[Limited] HYO RETSU (handcrafted Matcha Bowl): US$85.00 HYO RETSU, which means cracked ice in Japanese, is a very traditional Japanese glazing technique. This technique intentionally creates an intricate network of thin surface cracks in the glaze...

[New] KYO no HARU Matcha Starter Set: US$113.00 This Starter Set is the minimum set including only the essential tea ware for a perfect bowl of Matcha. And this includes KYO no HARU handcrafted Matcha Bowl, painted elegantly by typical Kyo Yaki style...

[New] IRABO Matcha Starter Set: US$111.00 This Starter Set is the minimum set including only the essential tea ware for a perfect bowl of Matcha. IRABO handcrafted Matcha Bowl and KUROCHIKU Banboo Whisk create the WABI SABI atmosphere...

Teapots / Cups shopping page: click here
Matcha Bowls / Accessories shopping category: click here

Are you enjoying your green moments? Hibiki-an encourages those who love to drink green tea. If you have any requests or questions regarding our teas or services, please don't hesitate to contact us. We sincerely hope that you enjoy genuine Hibiki-an Japanese green tea direct to you from Kyoto, Japan.

Sincerely yours,

Atsushi Yasui

Shincha News Flash! (Around April 11)

We have been following the green tea sprouts from early spring when the tea trees put out their first new buds to the harvest of Shincha, the first tea of the year. Now, we bring you the latest breaking news and information from Hibiki-an's tea farm in Ujitawara in Kyoto!

Around April 11:

Obuku area, in the mountain ravines, the the cherry blossoms are now their best.	At the birthplace of Sohen Nagarani, as of April 10
	Electric fans activate when the temperature gets too cold.	Tea sprouts as of April 11

The cherry blossoms here in Ujitawara were at their best last weekend and early this week. At the birthplace of Uji tea, the Obuku area nestled in mountain ravines, the cherry blossoms are now at their peak. Among all the cherry blossom trees in Kyoto, those which grow in the Obuku valley always bloom last.

At this time, it is possible for the cold weather to return, but it rarely frosts. A frost in spring is devastating because it completely ruins any tea sprouts. Electric fans are strategically placed around the tea trees to stir the air during the month of April to avoid spring frost. Late frosts may occur on cold nights when there is radiational cooling with no cloud cover and no wind at midnight. Electric fans activate when the temperature gets too cold. It is also important to check if all electric fans work normally, and to repair any malfunctions in March. We must pay attention to the lowest temperature of each day until the end of April.

The weather quickly became warm in Kyoto this week (especially after April 7). The weather forecast predicts that it will soon become warm enough to be favorable for tea trees. Judging from the tea trees' condition and climate after last summer, the tea leaves have grown bravely. We think that this year’s harvest will start May 5th or 10th which is almost same with usual. It depends on the weather.

Shincha teas:
Shincha (the first tea of the year) is harvested starting at the beginning of May in Kyoto. We are planning to sell some limited edition Shincha teas only available this Shincha harvest season. Celebrate our first tea harvest of the year with Hibiki-an's Shincha and enjoy the remarkable fresh flavor, which can only be experienced once every year! Please wait and see!

What is Shincha?: click here

This Month's Tea - Tasting Sets

We would like you to rediscover the value of our Tasting Set items for monthly recommendation. Our tasting sets feature our most popular items and are all excellent values. They are ideal for those who would like to try a taste test to learn which is their favorite tea, or who would like to enjoy less quantity of some kinds of tea. These tea set items are especially perfect for those who are new to green tea to learn the differences between each type of tea.

"What is Tasting Set?" page: click here

Recommended - Konacha

We arranged three Konacha teas. They are the limited edition of 600 packages only available this early spring season.

[Limited] Gyokuro Konacha Super Premium (100g/3.53oz): US$19.00 Gyokuro Konacha Super Premium is an excellent value. Because it is made from the specks and tiny tea leaves of only the highest quality Gyokuro, such as Gyokuro Pinnacle, Super Premium, Kuradashi Gyokuro Pinnacle, and Super Premium, you can have the finest quality for a fraction of the cost...

[Limited] Gyokuro Konacha (200g/7.05oz): US$27.00 Made from premium Gyokuro specks and tiny tea leaves, Gyokuro Konacha has a unique and delicately sweet flavor. Gyokuro Konacha is an excellent value. Because it is made from the specks and tiny tea leaves of only high quality Gyokuro...

[Limited] Sencha Konacha (200g/7.05oz): US$19.00 Made from premium Sencha specks and tiny tea leaves, Sencha Konacha has a unique and delicately sweet flavor. Sencha Konacha is an excellent value. Because it is made from the specks and tiny tea leaves of only high quality Sencha...

"What is Konacha?" page: click here

[Mother's Day Gifts] How About Hibiki-an's Gifts?

Have you chosen a Mother's Day gift? In Japan, green tea is often presented as a gift because it symbolizes a wish of good health and longevity. This tradition of giving green tea as a gift is as popular today as it has been throughout history. We give the gift of green tea for good health and long life of friends, family, and loved ones. A gift of genuine Japanese tea would make a perfect gift this Mother's Day.

"Celebration Gifts in Japan" page: click here

[New] YOHKAN (sweet bean jelly): US$17.50

YOHKAN sweet bean jelly is one of the most popular and classic confections in Japan along with OHIGASHI candy and OKAKI rice cracker. Indeed AN bean jam, which is the main ingredient of YOHKAN, is the most essential ingredient of WAGASHI traditional Japanese confections. It has a unique texture and sweetness which pairs well with all kinds of Japanese tea.
We developed four flavors of YOHKAN with an established AN bean jam manufacturer located in Kyoto. Our four flavors of YOHKAN are manufactured with careful attention to quality and domestic ingredients...
(visit the shopping page: click here)

Starting from the left to right, OHSHIMA, OGURA, YUZU, and UME		Wrapped and decorated with WASHI Japanese paper

YOHKAN (sweet bean jelly) US$17.50 shopping page: click here
Japanese Snacks / Candy shopping category: click here

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Japanese Green Tea Hibiki-an
36 Shimonoto Yuyadani
Ujitawara, Kyoto 610-0221
Japan
http://www.hibiki-an.com