Japanese Tea: Distinguishing Features, Heritage of Ancestors, Prospects in the Present-Day Russian Market
The article gives a holistic view of the history and current state of the Japanese tea sales in Russia. Growing demand for Japanese tea is caused by population aging, by fashion for organic and healthy food. Asia’s dynamic growth causes a surge of interest for Japanese and Chinese cuisine, where tea plays an important role. Article material will allow to understand the types of Japanese teas and traditions of their production. Dynamics of Japanese teas export in the XIX – early XX centuries and supplies destinations are shown. The article describes mechanisms of Japanese teas falsification and identification of their grades — depending on the season of tea leaf collecting. Information about current state of the Japanese teas market in Russia and about the main players is presented. Considerable attention is paid to the Japanese tea ceramics and traditions of “primitive art”, to special Japanese perception of teaware defects.
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