It’s November already, which always seems to take me by surprise. Personally I prefer December to November, but I am sure this year November will be a special month for us all!
At home in Japan, when I was small, I used to go to the local farm to help harvest potatoes. It was one of the school activities we had, to appreciate food and learn about nature and agriculture from the local farmers. It was such fun digging big potatoes! I can clearly remember how much my mother liked a picture I did of me digging an enormous potato!
I am still working with farmers – though now they are tea farmers and tea makers! Surprisingly, as matcha has become so popular globally, Kyoto’s tea makers have been facing a shortage of matcha tea this year, and production hasn’t been able to keep up with demand. You might have noticed that some of our matcha teas from Ippodo have sometimes been out of stock. In fact, one of Ippodo’s team kindly came over to meet us last week and mentioned that their matcha will be unavailable for a time, as they do not have enough tencha - the leaves for making matcha.
There’s nothing to worry about though, as we’re still able to sell Ippodo’s leaf teas, such as hojicha and kuki hojicha. And of course we also offer other tea makers’ matcha teas from such prestigious houses as Marukyu Koyamaen and Hoshino Seicha, as well as our own branded organic matcha teas! If you’re fond of Shoin from Ippodo, I recommend our own organic matcha Wabisuke as an alternative. And if you like Ikuyo or Hatsu from Ippodo, our organic matcha Uraku would be a good replacement.
It is getting so much darker in the late afternoons, which makes it feel very wintery, and might even start you thinking about Christmas presents! Our Pop-up shop is very civilised way of looking for great present ideas, and from next week, 5th November, we’ll also be serving a very civilised cup of Iribancha from Ippodo. You couldn’t beat it for a more peaceful Christmas shopping experience! On offer there is a whole variety of teas, tea wares, Japanese ceramics and kimonos. On top of which our sister brand Nishura East is showcasing Japanese lifestyle products such as Hobonichi diaries, Stalogy stationery and the Nightbook. There are bound to be some perfect presents there for your nearest and dearest, as well as for yourself!
The Pop-up shop is close to the famous Portobello and Golborne Markets, near to lots of nice cafes and coffee shops at the north end of Portobello Road, which is less than 10 mins walk from where we are! It might be a great visit, to come to our Pop-up for some shopping followed by a late lunch on the Portobello Road!
Keiko Uchida & Nishura EAST Pop-up shop
Studio 303, Grand Union Studios, London, W10 5AD
Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 6:00
You will be asked to call 303 by interphone to enter. Any problems, please call 07719 103830. We look forward to seeing you there.