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Whenever we try to explain why we strive for a nice froth in our maccha, we like to compare unwhipped and whipped cream: oxygen and texture do magical things. Maccha is such a textural drink, and we often suggest to folks that they drink their maccha in “savoured gulps”, rather than sips, so as to […]
I have been thinking about algorithms and creativity, classic solutions VS what has yet to be thought of. If musicians only ever wrote music similar to what they wrote in the past, we would sure live in a boring world. New thinking and new art is risky because we don’t know if people will […]
Sometimes we get asked if you can make shots of maccha in advance to speed up efficiency behind the bar, especially for feature drinks. If this is something you can justify for your espresso program (pulling a bunch of shots into a syrup bottle) then perhaps you could do so for your maccha program. […]
We recently had some constructive dialogue with a cafe owner in the Okanagan who was struggling with rising costs and was trying to balance the cost and flavour of our Masala Chai at her cafe. It got us thinking about similar struggles we have faced in our past here at JagaSilk. Back in 2008, when […]
We have had a great opportunity to learn from some incredible tea professionals these past few years through our involvement in the Victoria Tea Festival Revival, especially the symposiums where guests have shown us how they brew tea at origin and at their respective spaces. One connecting piece amongst the Chinese tea enthusiasts has […]
Sometimes we get asked about the difference between culinary and ceremonial maccha. The short answer is that the difference is arbitrary. The reality is that there is no official standard for defining the difference, and that this nomenclature really only exists outside of Japan. You do see the word “culinary” used to describe low grades of […]
We sometimes get asked this question and thought it odd: what is the difference between maccha and green tea. The short answer is that there is no difference. Maccha is a kind of green tea. However, there does seem to be some confusion here as made clear by a recent New York Times article on […]
Spring is always a very exciting time of year for us. We see the first flush Darjeeling origin tea samples in a few days, have word that the pre-Qing Ming Chinese teas are tasting great, news that Japanese teas are developing slowly but nicely, and Taiwanese tea samples are on their way. In our books, […]
When we first started JagaSilk, we used to carry $20 chasen (bamboo whisks) and didn’t think too much of it. Until we started to get higher volume clients. We started to see the whisks fall apart at a faster and faster rate. On top of that, we were made aware that our supplier was buying […]
This question gets asked a lot and there really is no one true answer. Culture, context, preference, experience; all play a role in the direction that answer takes. JagaSilk is mostly a wholesaler and we often help new specialty coffee shops set up their tea programs. The needs of a cafe are generally focused on […]
Over the past several months we have been researching and utilizing the tea roaster we brought in earlier in the year. We started the process with sencha, using aracha (unfired tea meant for sencha) provided to us by Mr. Takaki in Fukuoka Japan. He was a gem and has been incredibly accommodating whenever we visit […]
When sourcing tencha for our maccha (and any tea we bring in) we strongly believe in choosing to work with small farms that produce carefully and are good stewards of the land that they cultivate. We have built up great relationships with many farmers over the years, but we will be focusing on three families […]
Since October 2018, we have been milling our maccha in house here at JagaSilk. It has been challenging, always a learning journey, and forever rewarding in terms of flavour, medicinal integrity and relationship building. The Importance of Fresh Milling Very early on in JagaSilk’s history, we realized the importance of fresh milling. We noticed that […]
When we ferment our kombucha we like to focus on the tea and the honey. The industry norm is to build a canvas and then add flavours in a kind of “shrub”, but we started our program with the idea that good tea will shine through and does well to be the main event. “We […]
Temperature control. Why does it matter? It’s a good question and we once we continue to explore. There is no right answer. “Temperature variations of as little as 10°C can make a big impact .” With maccha, we find that depending on the region, the temperature variations of as little as 10°C can make a […]
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