February 14, 2017
Recently, I visited Blue Willow Teaspot in West Berkeley, a new tea cafe that has a tiny Japanese tearoom tucked in the back, where visitors can experience chado, or the ceremonial preparation of matcha. Blue Willow Teaspot opened in October 2016. Originally, Blue Willow was solely a wholesale business. Its current owner, Ali Roth was an employee at the company under previous […]
October 27, 2016
Halloween is Monday! If you’re looking to stock your candy bowl with something more interesting than Hershey’s, Reese’s, and Tootsie Rolls, get a bag (or two) of Japanese Green Tea Kit Kats. Made with matcha from Uji Prefecture, these Kit Kats are a part of Nestle Japan’s otona no amasa (adult sweetness) line. But you don’t have to […]
August 25, 2016
Far Leaves Tea in Berkeley sources exceptionally high-quality teas from around the world. We now carry three Far Leaves premium teas at Umami Mart for your sipping pleasure: Far Leaves Matcha Sencha If you need a little caffeine boost during the day, we recommend Matcha Sencha. It combines two traditional Japanese green teas – sharp, […]
August 11, 2016
If you love Japanese sweets and desserts, and live anywhere close to Berkeley, you should have Uji Time on your radar. Uji Time is a new Japanese dessert shop that opened in June in South Berkeley on Telegraph Avenue. Earlier this week, I decided to check it out. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite understand what I was getting […]
June 22, 2016
When I tried to come up with a recipe for the Umami Chef Matcha Challenge*, all the usual recipes were too ordinary (lots of sweets) and I wanted to make something a bit different and creative. I ended up discovering a recipe that can be used for both savory and sweet. Brilliant. When you think […]
June 20, 2016
Matcha ice cream brings back memories of eating sushi with my family. I grew up in the San Fernando Valley (Northridge, represent!), but my dad drove us all around Los Angeles in search of the best restaurants he could find before the internet existed. Japanese food, especially sushi, was one of his – and my […]
April 11, 2016
The first time I learned how to make matcha was from my grandmother, Baba-chan, in Tokyo. I was in second grade when she first showed me how to make matcha. I quickly forgot about it when I moved back to California in fourth grade. Oddly enough, while I was listening to industrial music in my […]
January 21, 2016
We quickly sold out of these jars of Matcha Salt during the holidays. No surprise, because this stuff is like gold – green gold! A sprinkle can finish and elevate a dish with earthy umami flavor. We recently replenished our supply of Matcha Salt, which are made just for us by our friends at Oaktown Spice […]
November 12, 2015
Bitters are great for cocktails, but did you know they make refreshing non-alcoholic drinks, too? This Saturday, November 14, we’re hosting a free tasting event with Workhorse and Q Drinks. Rob Easter, founder or Workhorse, and Meryll Cawn, brand ambassador of Q Drinks, will be on hand mixing delicious carbonated drinks made with Q Club, Tonic, […]