I. 介紹

When the Japanese have guests, tea is the first thing to be served, providing relaxation and peace of mind. This traditional drink has gained popularity over other types of teas such as oolong and black tea for its refreshing taste as well as its higher vitamin and catechin content.

MUSO's tea has an especially distinct flavor and aroma because it is produced in unique locations; such as Shiga, Nara, Kyoto and Okayama, mountainous region in the western part of Japan, where the climate is known to produce a high quality tea. This combined with its rich nutrition has characterized MUSO's tea as a popular drink that enhances health and relaxation.

II. 歷史

The mountainous regions of southern China are believed to be the birthplace of tea, beginning about 4000 years ago. It was cultivated far and wide and was considered a precious herb. According to 8th century literature, tealeaves came to Japan along with Buddhism. It was not until the 12th century that steaming and graining tea trees became a regular ritual. This ritual was the main contribution to the traditional Japanese "tea ceremony." The biggest revolution in Japanese tea culture came in the 16th century when the original Chinese tea manufacturing method was brought to Japan. At that time dry or raw leaves had to be steamed for a long time in order to bring out their distinct flavors. However, innovative manufacturing methods incorporated a "pressing" process once the tealeaves were steamed. This replaced long steaming time with simple steeping of the tealeaves in hot water. With ease of preparation, tea fields were seen cropping up all over the country and tea became the traditional Japanese drink.

Today Japanese tea has many uses. Tea powder and extract are used for desserts in cake, cookies and ice cream, as well as blended with other drinks to add tea flavor. Tea is also a common ingredient in soaps and various processed non-food products.