The Grand Adventure

The best gifts in life are the ones we never expect.
Living in Kobe Japan, I have a fantastic chance to do what would be unavailable to me back home. While this obviously includes things like visiting Japanese landmarks, eating real Japanese cuisine, and experiencing another culture, one of the things i enjoy most about my stay in Japan is exploring the cities and finding unique or rare delights. My willingness to try anything once, even if it means ignoring common sense (well at least from a Western point of view) and outrageous prices, has made living here a real delight and adventure.

Its a trait impressed upon me by my father, for which i am immensely grateful.

When i stumbled upon the small teashop in Bal Kobe, my first thought were of gifts for friends in Osaka and New Jersey who had real passions for tea. The price tag held me back; at 2-3000 yen a tin (roughly 20-30 American dollars) i worried that I was throwing money at an impressive label that covered the same tea that I could buy in a grocery store. The only way to prove my money was well spent was to try it myself. I asked in my poor Japanese for the most popular tea, something that would do well for a first taste. They brought me a tiny milk jug, a wide lipped tea cup, and a pot of Marco Polo.

It was love at first sip.

I have always enjoyed tea ( drink quite a bit), but what I was used to was a microwaved green tea bag or a Twinnings splashed with boiling water from a dirty kettle. Mariage Frere's tea is without a doubt the best in the world, and it is now a 15 minute walk from my apartment. I have created this blog as an exploration into their teas; a chance for me to take advantage of something I wont have back home, and an opportunity to record, for myself and anyone interested, the different flavors and styles they offer. Enjoy!