Hand Roll Japanese Tea
Did you know that the finest Japanese tea is not only hand-picked but hand-rolled? A seven hour process is what makes Japanese green tea truly exceptional. Try your hand and mastering the technique.
Explore the essence of sencha via an exquisite and traditional art form: temomi, or hand-rolling tea leaves. Although labor-intensive, it is the the superior method to produce a tea with exceptional aroma, flavor, and a beautiful needle-like appearance. In this experience, you will learn what is important when managing the drying and rolling process of sencha to achieve uniform, thin, and tightly rolled tea leaves—paramount in achieving even infusion when brewed.
You will learn the art of reading the leaves or “Ha wo yomu 葉を読む” in Japanese and begin to understand how to coax out the tea’s intrinsic qualities. You will deepen your understanding on how each rolling action influences the chemical reactions within the leaf to achieve the desired umami, sweetness, and complex aromatics without harming the leaves and introducing bitterness or grassy notes.
Begin to accurately assess the moisture content, pliability, and temperature to determine if the leaves are too wet, too dry, or just right. Afterwards, enjoy a umami rich cup of sencha.
- 4 participant minimum
Experience Duration: 1 Hour
What You'll Do
Learn the process of crafting exquisite hand-rolled sencha, a treat even most Japanese have not experienced. Be guided on techniques to remove moisture, develop the tea’s aroma, and lengthen the leaves into their characteristic needle shape—a process essential to achieving an even brew.
What's Included
The cost of the sencha demonstration
What's Not Included
Any guest purchases
Guest Requirements
Guests are required to behave in a civil and respectable manner.
Activity Level
Medium
This activity will require extended standing and continuous rolling of sencha leaves. Good stamina is recommended.
Accessibility Level
Guests must be 10 years of age or older
How To Order
The Hand Roll Japanese Tea experience can only be purchased in combination with a Tour and not as a standalone experience.
To Order:
1: Adjust the quantity to match the number of experience attendees. For example, if four people are attending, then the quantity should be set to 4. This experience has a minimum participant quota of four.
2: Add experience to cart.
3: Add any additional Add-Ons to cart.
4: Prior to checkout, ensure there is one or more Tours added to your cart. The date of the experience will be the same date of the tour selected.
5: Check out to complete reservation. Our Concierge will contact you shortly thereafter to confirm logistics and answer any questions.
Once confirmed, you will be sent a payment link. Payment is due within 24 hours of the link being sent and payment constitutes a placed order.
Cancellation Policy
11 Days or More Prior To Tour or Experience Start Date: No Cancellation Fee Levied; 100% of Order Amount Returned
10 days to 6 days Prior To Tour or Experience Start Date: 50% of Order Amount Reserved As Cancellation Fee; 50% of Order Amount Returned
5 Days or Less Prior To Tour or Experience Start Date: 100% of Order Amount Reserved As Cancellation Fee; 0% of Order Amount Returned
For more details, reference our Cancellation & Refund Policy.
Pairs well with
This experience must be purchased in combination with a tour.
Adjust the quantity to match the number of experience attendees.
All tour additions subject to experience availability checks
Hand Roll Japanese Tea
If you have any questions, you are always welcome to contact us. We'll get back to you as soon as possible, within 24 hours on weekdays.
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手揉み Temomi
Rolled and Dried Simultaneously By Hand
The Art of Temomi: A technical process transformed into an art form, where the hands are an extension of the mind and and each knead deepens in understanding of the tea, resulting in a tea leaf that is crafted, not processed.
Did you Know?
Did You Know?
The finest tea undergoes the moisture removal and rolling process at the same time by the hands of a skilled practitioner. The result is an umami rich, glossy, needle like tea leaf. The process, is called temomi—or hand-rolled in Japanese.
Up until the Meiji era, all tea was produced by hand in Japan, as the demand was low. Due to promotion abroad and investment in modern machinery, nowadays, hand-rolled tea is very rare. From start to finish, the hand-rolling process has multiple steps and takes four to five hours to complete—depending on the temperature, the humidity in the air and moisture content of the tea leaves.
A skilled practitioner produces a yield of approximately 300g of tea a day, making hand-rolled tea a rare treat indeed!
Sample Itinerary
11 AM
The History & Technique
Learn about the history of temomi and the basic technique.
11:30 AM
Hand Rolling
Now that you understand the basic techniques, try your hand and rolling your own sencha.
Pairs Well With
Sencha Tea Ceremony Demonstration
The tea practice that aims to put the mind in a state of calm and tranquility via the tea, not the formalities. Experience authentic Japanese sencha tea ceremony in a tranquil environment.