About Us

Umami-rich Japanese tea was served in a glass teacup. — A Zen moment with umami-rich Japanese tea

Japanese tea session at Consulate General of Japan in Melbourne — A Zen moment with umami-rich Japanese tea

We are based in Melbourne, Australia. Harumi Oshitani, our tea instructor is certified by Nihoncha Instructor Association (https://www.nihoncha-inst.com/english.html) and is one of 224 senior certified Japanese tea instructor. She has a passion to share authentic experiences with local tea enthusiasts in Australia. She is also a qualified tea educator as well as the Japan Tea Goodwill Ambassador to Australia who has been appointed by Nihoncha Instructor Association (and was also commissioned by Japan Tea Export Council). Our fun, interactive and informative tea workshops are held at various places throughout year.

Honored to join the 150th Ceylon Tea celebration at High Commission of Sri Lanka in Canberra

Who is Okei-san?

Kei Oura, aka, Okei-san, was in the vanguard of exporting Japanese green tea to the world. Okei-san was born in Nagasaki, Japan in 1828. Her family had been set up as an oil merchant since 17th century. However, after a catastrophic fire occurred, her family lost their fortune. She explored all business opportunities and finally found the potential in Japanese tea export business.

Okei-san asked a Dutch merchant of the Textor & Company to help her take samples of Japanese tea overseas. It was in 1853 and was about six years before Japan limitedly opened its door to the world, with Nagasaki being one of five ports. In 1856, Mr. Olt William, an English merchant came to Nagasaki and ordered six tons of Japanese green tea. To fulfill the order, she visited a number of tea farms in Kyushu district, a southern island of Japan. This was the beginning of Japanese tea export’s boom.

Her success on tea export business contributed to the whole Japanese export industry. Japanese green tea became one of main export products following silk.

I learned some fascinating tea history during my trip to Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon). A company from Belfast had created this tubular heater, which has been in use there for years. Specific types of logs were burned as fuel, filling the room with a wonderfully pleasant aroma. I felt as if I were inside a cup of black tea.😆

Size matters! We had the opportunity to taste Ceylon tea side by side, exploring how the leaves are graded by size. Our tasting ranged from Orange Pekoe to the much finer Fannings. We also sampled the delicate Silver Tips and Golden Tips, prized for their subtle flavors and elegant character.

A stone mill in a Ceylon tea factory. It is fascinating how tea traditions travel across borders — matcha, so deeply rooted in Japanese ceremonial culture, now finds its production tool in Sri Lanka.

Winding through narrow mountain roads, we finally reached a tea plantation in Kandy. A soft, steady drizzle had other plans, turning the tea-plucking experience and leaving us to watch the mist curl around the hills.

The Ashburnham tea estate, once the principal planter’s home of the Mahatenne Estate, dates back to the 1930s when tea first came to the region. Still full of old-world charm—breakfast tea with squirrels for company was unforgettable. Grateful for the warm hospitality.💗

Filming for Australian TV a few months back. We're privileged to be a (small☺️) part of the TV program. We cannot disclose the details at this stage 🤫, so stay tuned!😉

We are honored to be part of the Nihoncha Award 2025 and to host its tea tasting session in Australia. This tasting marked the third stage of the competition. The first two stages were conducted by Japanese tea professionals, who evaluated and selected the 20 finest teas. We had the privilege of tasting these 20 exceptional teas and choosing our favorite among them.

So much gratitude to everyone who joined our Japanese Tea Workshop last weekend 😊. It was such a joy to share this special experience with fellow tea (and coffee!) lovers. We had an amazing time — and we hope you did too!

Thank you to everyone who joined our matcha workshop! It was a pleasure to connect with Melbourne tea enthusiasts like you. We hope you’ll keep whisking your way to the perfect matcha at home.