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株式会社マルカ

Company of the Japanese green tea

fujiyama
tea_plantation

In japan, the tea most commonly served alongside Japan's low-calorie cuisine that emphasizes the flavor of ingredients is Japanese green tea. Its beautiful color is an all-natural extract from the tea leaves,and its elegant aroma gives a sensation of freshness. Only Japanese green tea can offer such variety in its fusion of flavors. Without the addition of sugar or other sweeteners, the unique taste of Japanese green tea is enjoyed in its pure form, and contains many nutrients reputedly beneficial to health. In Japan,people enjoy a cup of Japanese green tea as a break from everyday activities. Tea also plays an essential part in welcoming important guests as it not only sends the message that the host wants you to “relax,”but the act of taking tea helps to soothe and refresh the senses. Grown with great care in tea fields situated amongst the beautiful nature of Japan and developed using sophisticated technology, beneficial and high-quality Japanese green tea can help you lead a healthy lifestyle.

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外国向けのお茶
外国向けのお茶
お茶の種類
お茶の種類

Company  Profile

Company name MARUKA co., ltd.
President Takashi Sugiyama
Head office 2-2-1,Chamachi,Aoi-ku,Shizuoka-shi,Shizuoka 420-0021,Japan
Established 1934
Main Business Mediation of Japanese green tea.
Manufacture and sales of Japanese green tea.
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Using a variety of processes to produce a range of delicious teas

Spring, summer, autumn, winter-Japan has four distinct seasons that give tea a variety of different characteristics. The taste of tea is also affected by the region and grade of tea as well as differences in cultivation and processing methods, resulting in a variety of delicious teas for your enjoyment.

Characteristics of signature Japanese green teas

sencha

Sencha

The most commonly enjoyed variety of Japanese green tea is sencha. The freshly-picked tea leaves are streamed and then dried as they are rolled. After the leaves have been shaped, they are blended to achieve the best flavor for the consumer. In general, sencha is green tinged with yellow and has a well-balanced combination of aroma, umami and bitterness,providing you with a feeling of luxury that increases with the grade of green tea.

gyokuro

Gyokuro(refined green tea)

The finest grade of Japanese green tea,gyokuro is sweet with a unique and mildly astringent aroma and mellow umami. The tea leaves are cultivated using the ooishita method, which involves shading the young tea leaves from direct sunlight for around 20 days after they first start to appear. This distinctive process inhibits astringency, producing tea leaves with large amounts of“theanine," an amino acid that enhances umami.

matcha

Matcha

Matcha is a fine powdered green tea commonly used in sadou(the tea ceremony). The young tea leaves are shaded from direct sunlight and streamed in the sama way as for gyokuro,then turned into tencha (non-ground leaves) by drying without rolling, and finally ground in a stone mill. Its elegant aroma and concentrated sweetness make matcha a sheer pleasure to drink, and as the powder is dissolved in hot water, all of the tea's beneficial nutrients can be taken in. Matcha is perfect for drawing out the flavors of Japanese confectionery and cuisine.

Bancha
(whole leaf green tea)

Bancha is mainly made from leaves plucked during late summer and is produced using the same procedure used for sencha. However,the umami of bancha is more delicate than that of sencha, containing just enough tannin to offer an astringent, yet light and fresh flavor. Bancha refreshes the palate after meals and is a common preference among the Japanese people as an everyday green tea.

bancha

Houjicha
(roasted whole leaf green tea)

This fragrant and refreshing Japanese green tea is made by roasting sencha or bancha over a high flame. The roasting process diminishes the tannin and caffeine content of the leaves to suppress astringency and bitterness and draw out fragrance. Houjicha is a warm brown color, and since it has a somewhat mild flavor, is popular with children and the elderly. Low in caffeine,houjicha is also the green tea of choice for infants in Japan.

houjicha

Genmaicha
(green tea with roasted rice)

Genmaicha is a richly-flavored Japanese green tea made by mixing roasted rice with sencha or bancha. Before being blended with the tea, the rice is steeped in water and steamed then roasted at a high temperature, and the popped rice stands out white amongst the tea leaves. Genmaicha allows you to enjoy the special savory fragrance of the roasted rice together with the refreshing taste of sencha or bancha. Because of its low caffeine content,genmaicha is recommended for all ages, from children to the elderly.

genmaicha
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Japanese green tea is delicious with both sweet and savory foods In Japan, green tea is used in a variety of foods including tea-buckwheat noodles, green tea-flavored dumplings, green tea sponge cake and green tea-flavored chocolate. In addition to tasting delicious, these foods are healthy as they contain the nutrients of green tea in whole form. Japanese green tea is also delicious used like a herb to flavor food, such as bread and cakes! Try adding Japanese green tea to your cooking.

Preparing the best Japanese green tea

As the aromas and flavors of Japanese green tea are subtle, the final taste differs depending on the preparation method used. To fully enjoy the true taste of Japanese green tea,please use the preparation methods outlined here.

teapot

Preparing Japanese green tea in a kyusu teapot

In Japan, tea is prepared in a special Japanese style teapot known as a kyusu.

Be sure to use boiling water.

The water should be boiled for 3 to 5 minutes and then allowed to drop to the correct temperature.

Preparing sencha

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Pour hot water into a Japanese teacup for each person so that it is 80% full and allow to cool. The ideal temperature for high quality sencha is about 158°F, while the ideal temperature for average quality sencha is about 176°F.

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Place the tea leaves in the kyusu teapot. Use 3/4 of a teaspoon(approx.3g) per person.

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Pour the cooled water into the kyusu teapot and steep. For high quality sencha.steep for 2 minutes; for average quality sencha, steep for 1minute.

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Pour little by little between the teacups so that the color of the tea is evenly distributed, making sure you pour every last drop from the kyusu teapot.

●Preparation tip! The same tea leaves can be used twice. To prepare good Japanese green tea the second time the leaves are used, no water should be left in the kyusu teapot after pouring the first time round.

If you do not own a kyusu teapot, you can still make delicious Japanese green tea using:

A normal teapot

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A tea strainer

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A paper filter

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Refresh with a chilled cup of Japanese green tea during the hotter months

Japanese green tea is also delicious served cold. Use 1.5 times the normal amount of tea leaves to make a stronger tea then chill immediately with ice.

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