Tea Time in June 2024 Box

Welcome to your June 2024 Tea Time Box! This month, we've thoughtfully paired exquisite teas from Japan and the USA with a delightful selection of pastries from around the world. Each pairing is crafted to enhance your appreciation of both the subtle and bold flavors that our carefully selected teas and pastries have to offer. Discover the vibrant Yuzu Matcha Kukicha from Japan, paired perfectly with the aromatic Cardamom Cookie from India, and the sweet, tangy Pineapple Crisps from China. Savor the delicate flavors of our Lychee Flavored Black Tea alongside the indulgent Lychee and Watermelon Crystal Candies, and complete your tasting experience with the robust Bourbon Brew, an herbal delight from the USA. Let's delve into our June selections and discover the stories and flavors they bring to your cup and plate.

Follow our My Tea Time blog series for an enriching journey into your monthly tea pairings. Without further ado, let's start our June tea experience!

Origins

Get to Know Your Origins Tea!

Explore the vibrant flavors of Japan with our Yuzu Matcha Kukicha. This refreshing green tea blend is a product of the Sugimoto Tea Company, a multi-generational tea producer known for its commitment to innovation and quality. Every sip of this tea offers a delightful combination of citrusy yuzu and earthy matcha, making it a perfect companion for your tea time.

Tea Name: Yuzu Matcha Kukicha

Teamaker: Sugimoto Tea Company

Origin: Shizuoka, Japan

Cultivation: Handpicked leaves combined with traditional and innovative techniques

Harvest Date: Spring 2024

Brewing Instructions: For a perfect cup, use 1 tablespoon of tea leaves per 8 oz (about 240 ml) of water. Steep for 60 seconds at 185°F (85°C), adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent infusion. The tea supports up to 4 infusions, allowing you to enjoy its evolving flavors.

Tea Aroma and Taste

Our Yuzu Matcha Kukicha, originating from Japan, offers a unique blend of refreshing yuzu citrus and earthy matcha flavors. Each sip provides a bright, invigorating taste that reflects the skill and traditions of Sugimoto Tea Company. Its smooth and subtle sweetness makes it an ideal tea for any occasion.

Appearance: The leaves present a vibrant green hue, indicative of their freshness and quality.

Smell: Once steeped, the tea exudes a fresh, citrusy aroma with earthy undertones of matcha.

Taste: A sip reveals a bright, citrusy flavor balanced with the smooth, earthy notes of matcha, leaving a refreshing aftertaste.

About the Farm and Farmers

Sugimoto Tea Company, located in Shizuoka, Japan, is a family-run business with a rich history dating back to 1946. Founded by Zenichi Sugimoto, the company has grown from delivering hand-made tea by bike to building a factory to meet the high demand for their products. Today, the company is led by Hiroyuki Sugimoto and his sons, Masaaki and Kyohei, who continue to innovate while preserving traditional tea-making techniques. The Sugimoto family prides itself on producing high-quality tea that is both authentic and delicious.

Background on the Farmers

The Sugimoto family, with generations of tea-making expertise, works closely with local farmers in Shizuoka to source the best tea leaves. Masaaki Sugimoto, the master blender, and his brother Kyohei, who expanded the business to the USA, are committed to producing exceptional teas. Their collaboration with farmers ensures access to high-quality leaves, fostering strong relationships built on trust and mutual respect.

Pastry Pairings

Cardamom Cookie (India)

The Cardamom Cookie from India offers a rich, aromatic flavor that perfectly complements the bright, citrusy notes of the Yuzu Matcha Kukicha. The spicy warmth of cardamom enhances the tea’s subtle sweetness, creating a harmonious blend of flavors that delight the palate. This pairing provides a unique sensory experience, balancing the robust spice of the cookie with the refreshing taste of the tea.

Pineapple Crisps (China)

The Pineapple Crisps from China are a nutritious, plant-based snack that pairs wonderfully with the Yuzu Matcha Kukicha. These freeze-dried pineapple slices are packed with natural sweetness and a tangy flavor that complements the tea’s citrusy notes. Each crisp provides a light, refreshing contrast to the tea, making this a perfect pairing for an on-the-go snack or a leisurely tea time.

Palate Cleanser (for taste testing): Saltine crackers are provided in our tea box to cleanse the palate between different teas and pastries, ensuring each flavor can be fully appreciated.

(Read more about Tea J Tea’s recommended way of tasting: Sip-Bite-Sip)

Fruity or Floral

Take pleasure in the juicy, colorful flavor of Lychee Flavored Black Tea, a delightful treat for tea lovers. This exceptional blend harmonizes black tea with lychee pieces, providing a naturally sweet and fruity escapade in every sip. Enjoy the taste of summer with this delightful infusion, a true testament to the excellence of fruity teas.

Tea Name: Lychee Flavored Black Tea

Processing: Infusion of black tea and lychee pieces.

Year: 2023

Caffeine Content: Low

Brewing Instructions: For the perfect cup of Lychee Flavored Black Tea, begin by using one tablespoon of tea leaves for every 8 ounces (approximately 240 ml) of water. Bring your water to a boil at 212°F (100°C). Steep the tea for two minutes, and if you desire a second infusion, steep for an additional one minute. This method allows for up to two delightful infusions from the same leaves.

Tea Aroma and Taste

The scent and flavor of Lychee Flavored Black Tea come together to create a sensory delight. The rich, fruity fragrance is matched by a palate of natural sweetness and depth, embodying the essence of ripe lychees. Each sip promises a refreshing and invigorating experience, leaving a lasting impression of fruity sophistication.

Appearance: The Lychee Flavored Black Tea, a premium black tea blend, presents a rich and inviting color. Upon brewing, this tea displays a deep golden hue, accented with bright highlights from the lychee bits.

Smell: Rich, fruity fragrance.

Tasting Notes: Sweet, natural fruity notes with a depth of flavor from the black tea base.

Pastry Pairings

Pair the Lychee Flavored Black Tea with either a Lychee Crystal Candy from the USA or a Watermelon Crystal Candy from the USA for a delightful culinary experience. The vibrant, fruity notes of the tea complement the sweet, fresh lychees and watermelons in both pastries, creating a harmonious blend of flavors. Enjoy the contrast between the tea's smoothness and the candies' rich textures for a truly indulgent treat.

Lychee Crystal Candy (USA)

The Lychee Crystal Candy, with its vibrant lychee essence, offers a taste that is both exquisitely sweet and refreshingly tangy, mirroring the natural fruity notes of the Lychee Flavored Black Tea. Its texture, a perfect blend of a chewy fruit puree center enveloped by a soft, moist tart base, provides a delightful sensory contrast to the smooth, rich depth of the tea. This combination enhances the tea's lychee flavor, creating a harmonious balance between the tartness of the berries and the sweet, mellow undertones of the tea.

Watermelon Crystal Candy (USA)

The Watermelon Crystal Candy, with its high-moisture watermelon content, offers a taste experience that is both rich and lusciously sweet. Its texture, smooth and velvety, creates an irresistible mouthfeel that complements the natural sweetness and fruity depth of the Lychee Flavored Black Tea. This pairing enhances the tea's fruity notes, making each sip a perfect blend of tea and candy flavors.

Explorer

Try Something New

Experience the delightful fusion found only in Explorer's Bourbon Brew. This exquisite blend infuses each cup with the aroma of warm, freshly-baked apple pastries. Crafted with a mix of red rooibos, apple pieces, cinnamon chips, and honeybush tea, this soothing, caffeine-free beverage is perfect for any time of day.

Tea Name: Bourbon Brew

Processing: This tea is a skillful blend of natural ingredients including honeybush tea, red rooibos, apple pieces, cinnamon chips, and natural flavors to create a harmonious and inviting brew.

Year: 2023

Caffeine Content: Naturally caffeine free

Brewing Instructions: For the perfect cup of Explorer: Bourbon Brew tea, use one tablespoon of tea for every 8 ounces (240 ml) of water. Heat the water to 212°F (100°C). To fully unlock its flavor profile, steep the blend for exactly 240 seconds. This blend also provides the delight of a second infusion, prolonging the enjoyment of its comforting warmth. It is best enjoyed hot, with a spoonful of honey and a touch of cream added to enhance its natural sweetness.

Tea Aroma and Taste

Take a journey through the senses with our Bourbon Brew. This unique blend marries the tartness of apple chunks with the sweet, comforting flavors of red rooibos and honeybush tea, all enhanced by the warm, aromatic presence of cinnamon chips. Its natural flavors meld seamlessly, creating an infusion that evokes the taste of a freshly baked apple empanada. It's a guilt-free indulgence that soothes and delights the palate, all while being caffeine-free.

Appearance: The tea presents a visually appealing mix of honeybush tea and red rooibos leaves, interspersed with generous chunks of dried apple pieces and speckles of cinnamon chips. Its warm, earthy colors evoke the cozy essence of a homemade dessert.

Smell: The smell is warm and cozy, with undertones of red rooibos and honeybush tea that provide a rich, somewhat earthy texture.

Tasting Notes: This tea's flavor notes are a well-balanced combination. The apple flavor comes through first, crisp and somewhat tangy, then smoothly gives way to the blend's silky, pastry-like sweetness. 

Are you interested in previous Subscription Boxes from previous months? Check out Last Month’s box (May Month Tea Time in A Box).