My Cup of Tea: Japanese Tea and Wagashi Workshop
Learn about the culture and history of tea drinking in Japan at My Cup of Tea: Japanese tea and wagashi tasting workshops
My Cup of Tea: Japanese tea and wagashi workshop
Few of life’s pleasures are as simple and satisfying as sitting down to enjoy a cup of tea, coupled with a bite of something sweet. Adding a touch of sophistication and a sprinkling of exitocism to the mix is My Cup of Tea, a Soho tea shop where customers can take part in tasting sessions, sampling the store's collection of teas from far and wide, served with a side of wagashi (Japan’s renowned sweet treats).
The tasting workshop is a chance to learn about the culture and history of tea drinking in Japan. Grouped around the store's new tea counter, you’ll taste nine different blends in total – from Shizuoka’s fresh grassy sencha to a rare and fruity black tea from Ureshino – while learning how to brew Japanese tea using traditional teaware, and find out how the teas are farmed and harvested.
Wagashi originated as small morsels to enjoy with a cup of bitter matcha green tea. Over time, the treats evolved into a variety of intricately crafted works of edible art. The sweets are often fashioned into shapes from nature, such as flowers, fruit and leaves, and include seasonal ingredients – such as cherry blossom leaves in the springtime and chestnuts in autumn. Although sweet, they generally use less sugar than typical western desserts, giving them a refined flavor that pairs excellently with green tea. Sweet azuki bean paste (anko) is a central ingredient in a large number of Japanese sweets, including wagashi. Boiled azuki beans are sweetened with sugar and mashed to create either smooth anko (koshian) or chunky anko (tsubuan).
My Cup of Tea also runs private matcha tutorials, herbal blending workshops and other one-off classes such as their upcoming teacup painting event. The shop’s sizeable range of teas and tisanes are sold by weight, while their selection of handcrafted teaware – glass teapots, intricately decorated ceramics and other tea brewing paraphernalia – are available to purchase, too. As a bonus, My Cup of Tea offers a 15% discount on loose teas to those who attend their workshops.
The tasting workshop is a chance to learn about the culture and history of tea drinking in Japan. Grouped around the store's new tea counter, you’ll taste nine different blends in total – from Shizuoka’s fresh grassy sencha to a rare and fruity black tea from Ureshino – while learning how to brew Japanese tea using traditional teaware, and find out how the teas are farmed and harvested.
Wagashi originated as small morsels to enjoy with a cup of bitter matcha green tea. Over time, the treats evolved into a variety of intricately crafted works of edible art. The sweets are often fashioned into shapes from nature, such as flowers, fruit and leaves, and include seasonal ingredients – such as cherry blossom leaves in the springtime and chestnuts in autumn. Although sweet, they generally use less sugar than typical western desserts, giving them a refined flavor that pairs excellently with green tea. Sweet azuki bean paste (anko) is a central ingredient in a large number of Japanese sweets, including wagashi. Boiled azuki beans are sweetened with sugar and mashed to create either smooth anko (koshian) or chunky anko (tsubuan).
My Cup of Tea also runs private matcha tutorials, herbal blending workshops and other one-off classes such as their upcoming teacup painting event. The shop’s sizeable range of teas and tisanes are sold by weight, while their selection of handcrafted teaware – glass teapots, intricately decorated ceramics and other tea brewing paraphernalia – are available to purchase, too. As a bonus, My Cup of Tea offers a 15% discount on loose teas to those who attend their workshops.
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| What | My Cup of Tea: Japanese Tea and Wagashi Workshop |
| Where | My Cup of Tea , 5 Denman Place, London, W1D 7AH | MAP |
| Nearest tube | Piccadilly Circus (underground) |
| When |
On 08 Nov 18, See website for times On 20 Nov 18, See website for times |
| Price | £25 |
| Website | Click here for more information and to book |