This year too, the delicious treasure grown in the forest, “Kicoro forest scented tea,” will be coming to town.

It is Kuromoji tea from Tenryu Forest, which was created with the idea of ​​being an “entrance to get people interested in the forest,” and is harvested only once a year in early spring.

I first encountered this tea four years ago. At a cafe in Tenryu Ward, a friend recommended it to me and said, “This Kuromoji tea is delicious. It’s made from wood.” When I asked her, “What is a tree? You mean the leaves on that tree?”, she answered that they were not actually leaves. When we think of tea, we think of green tea or herbal tea, which is made from soft materials such as leaves and flower petals. So when I was told that it was made from wood, I couldn’t imagine it.

What arrived on the table was a gentle pink tea with a very nice aroma that overturned the image of “wood”.

You may not be familiar with the “Kuromoji” tree, but you might know it as a sweet toothpick used to cut up Japanese sweets and bring them to your mouth.

Nowadays, many of them are made of plastic or other wood, but they were originally made from the Kuromoji tree, which has a pleasant aroma and antibacterial properties. It is well known that when Sen no Rikyu, a famous tea master, made tea for Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he offered them a freshly shaved fragrant toothpick from a branch of the Kuromoji tree in his garden. The scent of Kuromoji may have soothed the spirits of war-torn military commanders.

Japanese sweets and Kuromoji cutting sweets

Kuromoji is said to be an aromatic native to Japan, and its refreshing yet sweet scent is said to have antiviral and relaxing effects. It is said that it is also included in Chanel No. 5, and it is a tree that is like the savior of today’s times.

Kuromoji has been drunk for treatment and health since ancient times. A herbal medicine called Usho is made from the leaves and branches, and it is also brewed and drunk as a health tea. So, what is the difference between Tenryu no Mori’s Kuromoji tea and the health teas that have been drunk up until now?

The person who makes Tenryu Forest’s Kuromoji tea is Mr. Takeshi Maeda, who works as a “visible woodcutter” to connect the mountains and the city. Even though I don’t like the outdoors or the rain, I was selfish because I wanted to see the black moji tree. Then, on a rainy day at the start of the rainy season, Mr. Maeda showed me around Kikoro Forest in Tenryu.

Mr. Maeda showed me around Kikoro Forest in Tenryu.

Mr. Maeda, a woodcutter, walks through the beautiful Tenryu Forest with its straight cedar trees and the forest he is used to walking through.

It was raining so much that I needed to use wipers on the way, but in the forest I didn’t need an umbrella because the branches and leaves above my head blocked the rain, and the fluffy ground covered with piles of leaves and branches absorbed the rain and didn’t form puddles. . Experience how the forest stores water. As I walked behind Mr. Maeda, I was surprised and moved by the forest.

Mr. Maeda, who was walking in front of me, broke off a branch and said, “This is withered, but you can still smell it.”

It really smells like Kuromoji tea. I wasn’t suspicious, but I was surprised to find out that it was the scent of the tree itself.

Kuromoji is a deciduous tree that loses its leaves in autumn and grows flowers and leaves in spring. It is a shrub that is slightly taller than a person, and even if it is cut down for harvest, it will continue to grow branches.

“I wanted to make Tenryu’s Kuromoji tea a delicious tea that would look good in a stylish cafe,” says Maeda. Kuromoji, the raw material for “Kicoro forest scented tea,” uses only early spring branches that have lost their leaves and have stored aromatic compounds during the winter. Do not use the parts of the leaves that give off a grassy smell. That’s why it has such a strong aroma and is easy to drink. Naturally, it is pesticide-free, additive-free, and caffeine-free. It’s delicious to drink iced or hot, and goes well with meals and sweets. In addition, Mr. Maeda personally performs a two-step grinding process to reduce the branches into fibers so that the tea can be deliciously drunk just by pouring hot water, making it truly “forest tea made by a woodcutter.”

Tenryu’s Kuromoji tea, created as an “entrance to get people interested in forests,” is not only packed with aromatic effects and delicious taste, but also filled with Mr. Maeda’s love for trees and forests.

Tenryu Forest, as we learned in school, is an artificial forest where cedar and cypress were planted as part of the Tenryu River flood control project by the Meiji era great Kinpara Meizen. It is said that man-made forests will become desolate if people do not take care of them.

Now that the demand for domestically produced wood is slumping, in order to maintain the forest, it is necessary to cut down wood even if it cannot be sold. The branded wood Tenryu cedar and cypress are no exception. We live without knowing the benefits of forests that are maintained in this way.

Mr. Maeda took the black Kuromoji tree, which was considered an “unnecessary tree” because it could not be used as a building material in the forest, and turned it into a tea that helped him feel closer to the forest.

If you live in a city, you are rarely aware of forests and mountains in your daily life. But it’s been 4 years since I discovered Kuromoji tea. I didn’t know anything about it, but now I’m interested in forests, and I’ve come to imagine that the reason why there is little damage during heavy rains is because of the many years of care and maintenance of forests by those involved in the forestry industry. Even though it is such a small tea bag, the power of delicious food made with love and nurtured in the forest cannot be underestimated.

Kissa & Dining Yamanosha staff and woodcutter Mr. Maeda

Tenryu no Mori’s Kuromoji tea, “Kicoro forest scented tea,” can be enjoyed with delicious food at Kissa & Dining Yamanoie in Futamata, Tenryu Ward. We want you to experience a scent that goes beyond your imagination.

Yamanoie is also the territory of Mr. Maeda, a woodcutter. It seems that you can encounter them quite often, especially on days when they are open at night, so it’s sure to be fun to have a drink with some stories about the forest.

Kuromoji tea is now available in more and more restaurants in the city. This summer, why not be invited to the “Tenryu Forest” while enjoying Kuromoji tea, which has a pleasant aroma grown in the forest?

 

Kissa & Dining Yamanoie

「https://www.facebook.com/kissa.yamanoie/」

1283-1 Futamata, Futamata-cho, Tenryu-ku, Hamamatsu City 431-3314 TEL.0539-25-1720

Kicoro Forest Incense Tea (Kuromoji Tea) mail order

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