Hi all,

Grasshopper and Lurker mentioned a website I had never seen before,
the one for Maiko Tea. As I looked through it, I found that they have
a series of lectures delivered in a slide-show/animation format, and
it is an excellent introduction to Japanese tea. It talks about/shows
how it is cultivated, what the major varieties are, how to prepare the
different varieties, etc.

http://maiko.ne.jp/english/chako.htm

I would quibble with some of the details of how they suggest you make
tea (I'd use more leaf and much shorter brewing times), but then, we
all play with those details all the time anyway, and you have to start
*somewhere*

I've been interested in Japanese teas for many, many years, but this
is, hands down, the very best, richest introduction I've ever
encountered! They've done a careful job that is still very
accessible, and it is available in English, German or Japanese. The
English is quirky-playful sometimes, but obviously written by a native-
speaker of English. Whoever thought up this project did it well
Go have a look and enjoy!

james-henry holland
japanese language and culture
hobart and william smith colleges
geneva, new york 14456 usa