Amin Abbas
DUBAI: The official representative of the Global Japanese Tea Association in the UAE, IKIGAI-SHU, organized a unique ‘Japanese Tea Discovery’ masterclass that featured a brief on the history and production methods of Japanese tea.
Viktoryia Toma, IKIGAI-SHU’s CEO and founder, told Arab News Japan that this class is held four times a year, once each season. “Summer edition took the attendees on an exciting journey across the most renowned regions of Japan,” she said.
“During the three-hour session, the guests brewed and enjoyed teas from Kyoto, Shizuoka, Fukuoka, Saga, Miyazaki, and Okinawa. The event was held in an entertaining storytelling format complemented by a selection of artisanal tea-based desserts,” the founder added.
About the response and feedback from the participants of the masterclass, Toma said: “Among the guests were tea enthusiasts as well as food and beverage professionals. We have tailored the masterclass in such a way that each of the attendees could discover a never-before-experienced novelty of Japanese tea. Single-cultivar Kirari Kabusecha, award-winning Oolongcha, cold-brew cinnamon-infused Hojicha, and Sparkling Butterfly Pea Tea from Okinawa were the highlights of the tasting.”
“‘It was a real discovery experience’ and ‘I would never have imagined that Japanese tea could be as exciting and diverse’ were the comments from the guests. Allowing the attendees to brew teas using traditional tea tools made the experience truly immersive and exciting.”
Toma added that IKIGAI-SHU is committed to offering the best quality Japanese teas to UAE-based tea aficionados and promoting authentic Japanese products. “We are planning for a full program of events open to our members and guests in the upcoming months,” she said.