{"title":"For Ray","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"laoshan-green","title":"Laoshan Green 2026","description":"\u003cp\u003eMr. Tang's family are generational tea farmers in Laoshan Mountain of Qingdao, Shandong. Shandong is located in Northeastern China. It is named after Mount Lao, a magnificent mountain range recognized by its striking, slim, elongated cliffs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe many small plots that make up Mr. Tang's tea farm are scattered along the coastline at the foot of Mount Lao. Some are distributed right along the beaches, exposed to the salty wind that blows off of the water, while others are tucked slightly up into the forested hills, protected by the pine trees and the mountain behind them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe mountain minerals and the constriction that comes with cooler temperatures give these teas a great richness, and the wet air coming off of the ocean gives them an unmistakable salinity. Because of the colder climate, the first harvest of Laoshan green tea is almost a month later than the first harvest of green teas from tea regions in Southern China. These leaves are hand harvested by Mr. Tang's mother and grandmother then pan fried in a charcoal-fired wok by Mr. Tang's father and uncles, all generational craftsmen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe impeccable quality of this tea is noticeable at first glance and the smell of the delicate, uniform leaves is very enjoyable, even before you add water. This harvest is very balanced in its qualities: it is as refreshing as it is rich, and as salty as it is sweet. Its champagne colour liquor has a rich, nutty aroma and a soft, oceanic taste. On the finish we find a light, uplifting astringency with a honeyed cereal undertone. This balancing act gives this tea a very satisfying fullness. It will be especially enjoyed by those who prefer a green tea that isn't too cooling.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cultivate","offers":[{"title":"25g","offer_id":45429601304856,"sku":"","price":22.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50g","offer_id":45596074672408,"sku":"","price":44.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0091\/5737\/8153\/files\/20260714_Cultivate_0159_WEB.jpg?v=1784989076"},{"product_id":"yame-matcha-yamabuki","title":"Matcha \"Yamabuki\"","description":"\u003cp\u003eYamabuki is an excellent example of the rich, oceanic matcha that the Yame region is known for. Its taste sits at the perfect midpoint between its seaweedy, umami qualities and floral sweetness. Its unique density coats the mouth and pulls us downward, towards the ocean floor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTraditionally stone ground, this vibrant powder whisks into a silky, emerald froth that dramatically alters the colour of milk. Of all of the matcha we carry, perhaps none are better suited to preparing as a latte than Yamabuki. We attribute this to its depth of flavour, and its undeniable presence.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cultivate Tea","offers":[{"title":"50g Tin","offer_id":39428041637993,"sku":"","price":60.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50g Bag","offer_id":39428041670761,"sku":"","price":48.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100g Bag","offer_id":50379694342424,"sku":null,"price":92.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200g Bag","offer_id":50558728798488,"sku":null,"price":175.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0091\/5737\/8153\/files\/615A6040.jpg?v=1682815796"},{"product_id":"emei-high-mountain-green-first-harvest","title":"High Mountain Green 2026","description":"\u003cp\u003eThere is a mythical mountain in Sichuan province. For many people, it is a household name that, when spoken, evokes an air of the otherworldly. This place is called \u003cem\u003eE'Mei\u003c\/em\u003e 峨眉.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are four sacred buddhist mountains in China, E'Mei being one of them, and the highest peak. It is home to more than seventy ancient temples and is regarded by Buddhists as \u003cem\u003ethe place of enlightenment\u003c\/em\u003e. Many people will know it for the well established community of monkeys that reside amongst the temples and engage with visitors of the mountain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTea cultivation on E'Mei dates back to the Tang Dynasty, when fresh teas from its peak were delivered to the imperial palace as Tribute Teas to the Emperor. Our High Mountain Green comes from Heibao Mountain, near Haulong Village at 3200 ft above sea level. This area, central to E'Mei, is the primary area for producing tea on this mountain, and almost all the tea gardens here were planted generations ago.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe soil on Heibao Mountain is formed from porous volcanic ash, providing ideal minerals and drainage for tea trees. The elevation means that Haulong Village is almost always covered in rain or fog. It is a place that, while feeling quite unchanged, has some enchanting adaptations. Around 20 years ago many fruit trees were planted in and around the tea gardens here. Now the tea grows in the dappled shade of fragrant loquat and peach trees. However unusual this is, the tea benefits from their proximity, and is said to smell like flowers on account of it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis tea is made from leaves from the first picking of the season, consisting of one bud and two leaves. This results in a richer taste, which is in line with local preference. Regionally, this tea is simply referred to as 炒青 or \"pan-fried green.\" Its tiny, coiled leaves rich in mottled shades of green are unmistakable: it's as though the palate of an entire rainforest has pooled at the bottom of the gaiwan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile full bodied and rich in flavours reminiscent of flowers and seeds, this tea is remarkably refreshing. Its luminous liquor smells warm and feels both cleansing and hydrating to the body. Its clarity inducing salinity leaves a hint of saltiness at the back of the palate on the finish.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cultivate Tea","offers":[{"title":"25g","offer_id":39968756596841,"sku":"","price":22.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50g","offer_id":48399873343768,"sku":"","price":44.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0091\/5737\/8153\/files\/cultivate-may-2025-tea-3-3608.jpg?v=1747585465"},{"product_id":"kaga-genmaicha","title":"Kaga Genmaicha","description":"\u003cp\u003eMaruhachi Tea Factory was founded in Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture in 1863. This tea factory has been making the finest roasted teas for six generations, from the Edo Period to the present day. They maintain their reputation by focusing on the quality and parts of the tea plant used, the consistent blending of the tea stems, and their refined and innovative method for roasting them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis inspiring Genmaicha from them is a blend of fresh sencha from Shizuoka and Kagoshima and toasted rice, grown in Komatsu City of Ishikawa Prefecture. For the first several infusions it is definitely more sencha forward, with the subtle sweetness of toasted rice backing the briny, electric green notes of the tea.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSencha is a fantasy tea: it tastes grassy and earthless, and produces a glowing yellow-green liquor that appears to be plugged into some absent power source. The leaves look fresh as soon as they contact water, and reanimate into semi-translucent emerald fragments.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe smell the rice more than we taste it in this genmaicha -- the saline, umami qualities of the sencha are so forward, the rice appears only after we have been fully submerged in the ocean notes of the sencha. If you love sencha, you will enjoy this intertidal genmaicha immensely. By the fifth infusion the sencha's taste has softened and the rice is more prominent: we feel them change roles and enjoy the calmness that follows a revitalizing swim.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cultivate Tea","offers":[{"title":"120g Bag","offer_id":44726526116120,"sku":"","price":45.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"120g Tin","offer_id":44726526148888,"sku":"","price":52.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0091\/5737\/8153\/products\/615A3311.jpg?v=1678413048"},{"product_id":"matcha-goku-mukashi","title":"Matcha\"Goku Mukashi\" Shincha","description":"\u003cp\u003eIkkoen Chaho matcha is complex enough that it collapses tasting polarities: it is at once gentle and rich, vegetal and sweet. Guko Mukashi is one of their fuller bodied matcha. It has a fresh, round smell, an impactful mouthfeel, and a long finish. Its subtle, pungent sweetness and rich density gives it a calming, descending effect.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIkkoen Chaho is a tiny tea shop founded in 1947 by Hiroshi Mitsuo in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. Now it is run by the son of Hiroshi and his wife, Chie Mitsuo.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey are an anomaly in Cultivate's collection, mainly because they do not farm their own tea. Instead, they purchase high quality tencha from Uji, Kyoto that they use to mill their own matcha.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTheir shop is home to 3 traditional matcha mills that they use to make tencha from Uji into matcha. These machines have been used and maintained here since the shop opened in 1947. They are beautiful pieces of equipment, each housed in a wooden case and run by a steady conveyor belt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor how small their shop and production is, they are surprisingly well known in the matcha industry in Japan, and a name that many Sado teachers quietly and assuredly recommend. This is all to say that the matcha from Ikkoen Chaho is very precious; the 3 stone mills produce roughly 30 grams of matcha per hour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe shop has no website, no online presence, only a single store in Nagoya. We are very proud to offer 3 ceremonial matcha from Ikkoen Chaho at Cultivate.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cultivate Tea","offers":[{"title":"20g Tin Can","offer_id":48392019214616,"sku":"","price":45.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"40g Box","offer_id":50571389370648,"sku":null,"price":84.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0091\/5737\/8153\/files\/G0A6535.jpg?v=1714767589"},{"product_id":"yame-sencha-kabusecha","title":"Yame Kabusecha","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe mountainous part of the Yame region is called Oku-Yame. Its elevation and inverted climate means it is prone to fog, which acts like a veil over the tea fields that grow there. This natural protection causes the tea plants to store nutrients in their leaves, eventually resulting in a tea rich in an umami flavor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKakuda Seicha is from a tea farming family in Kamyo-cho of Yame City in Oku-yame. Three generations previous to him, his ancestors built a small tea factory with the intention of producing genuine Oku-Yame tea that reflects the virtues of this mountainous terroir. Kakuda's relationship with this region, and the practice of farming and crafting tea there, runs very deep.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSimilar to gyokuro, this green tea is crafted using the \"covering\" method before the leaves are harvested. The tea bushes are shaded with nets for roughly a week, blocking sunshine and causing the tea plants to produce an increased amount of catechins and L-theanine. This method is famous as a technique for suppressing bitterness, while increasing the sweetness and umami in the finished tea.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs we would expect, Kabusecha is a deep, forest green color and has a distinctive \"covered\" aroma, similar to gyokuro. It brews a refreshing, glowing, yellow liquor that gets sweeter through infusions. This is an excellent green tea for those who appreciate something mellow on the palate, dislike bitterness, but who love the revitalizing, eye-widening impact of sencha.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cultivate Tea","offers":[{"title":"100g","offer_id":51352537432344,"sku":null,"price":40.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0091\/5737\/8153\/files\/615A6470_bc341c67-7128-4d7b-ab5b-acde9de8c4d0.jpg?v=1765586762"}],"url":"https:\/\/cultivatetea.com\/collections\/for-ray.oembed","provider":"Cultivate Tea","version":"1.0","type":"link"}