Journal

On ritual, ingredient, and the small ceremonies that punctuate a day. Notes from the soqi editors.

A Hanakessho crystalline-glazed matcha bowl

Craft · 4 min read

Hanakessho: the flower that blooms in the kiln.
A sealed tin of Hazuki first-harvest matcha

Craft · 4 min read

From leaf to powder.
Terraced tea fields above Uji under woven bamboo shade, in morning mist

Origin · 4 min read

Why the tea grows better at Uji.
A bowl of whisked usucha beside a bamboo chasen

Ritual · 3 min read

On the proper preparation of usucha.
Morning mist over the Uji tea farms

Origin · 4 min read

A morning at the Uji farms.
Tea bushes under woven bamboo shade covers

Ingredient · 3 min read

The science of shade-growing.
A bowl of matcha beside a dark cup of coffee on linen

Ingredient · 3 min read

Matcha vs coffee, in the morning.
A kitchen counter set with matcha bowls, a bamboo whisk and a kettle

Ritual · 4 min read

How to prepare matcha at home.
A bowl of whisked matcha with fresh tea leaves scattered beside it

Ingredient · 3 min read

Seven benefits of drinking matcha daily.
An aged tea bowl beside old books on a windowsill

Culture · 7 min read

The history of matcha in Japanese tea culture.