Kaga Bocha is a widely popular tea that has been present in Ishikawa Prefecture for more than one hundred years. In order to learn more about this unique tea, I paid a visit to Kanazawa’s Nodaya Chaten, which is a family-run tea shop that has stood for five generations since the later portion of the Edo period. To this day, it merges the roasting processes of direct flame and sand roasting to create the combination of flavors that the shop is famous for.

The cafe section of the shop was filled with a wide variety of people enjoying the shop’s many offerings, including a group of three friends engaged in a relaxing conversation, a lone man enjoying a dish of ice cream zenzai, and a couple that appeared to be tourists. Recently, OMO5 Kanazawa Katamachi, a hotel located on Tatemachi Street, has been offering its guests a Kanazawa tea culture experience, where they can sample different types of tea, including Kaga Bocha from Nodaya Chaten, for free each day. I spotted some guests who had used the opportunity to visit the shop and purchase some tea as a souvenir.

Nodaya Chaten serves three variations of Kaga Bocha, each with a different roasting level. Starting with the lightest roast, there is Kiwami, followed by Kaori, and then Nami. The shop owners also seem to have their own preferences, with Masateru Noda, the fourth-generation proprietor, always opting for a cup of the Nami blend, while his daughter Kazumi and her husband Seiichi prefer Kaori’s more balanced flavor. “Lately, Kiwami has been quite popular with many of our customers,” says Seiichi, to which Masateru nods in agreement and adds, “Indeed, our customers have a wide range of preferences.” Kiwami is known for its distinctively sweet aroma and refreshing flavor, making it recommended for younger customers, while Kaori and Nami feature the more typical roasted green tea flavor that tends to be favored by tea connoisseurs.

On the left side of the above photo is the lightly roasted Kiwami blend. The lighter roast is apparently the hardest to achieve, as it can be “an incredibly difficult task” to get the right amount of browning while still retaining the tea’s desired aroma. This helps create an elegant kukicha (tea made from stems), where the gentle sweetness fills the mouth with each sip.

In the center of the photo is the medium-roasted Kaori blend. Its aroma consists of sweet and savory notes and even includes a slight chocolatey aftertaste.

The tea on the right, the one with no mark above the Kaga Bocha branding, is called Nami. It is a dark roast tea featuring a slightly smoky flavor that follows its more mellowed aroma. It definitely feels like a flavor that would be popular with tea connoisseurs.

“We can’t drink anything else”
Enjoying the everyday culture of bancha tea

These days, the name Kaga Bocha is known nationwide, but in Ishikawa, it was simply referred to as “regular tea” and called “bocha” or “bancha.” However, the term bancha can describe tea that comes from various regions. Since the term is now used to describe a tea that is drank daily in each region, there is no one tea that can be considered as a standard, due to the differences in regions, preparation, taste, and appearance between them. As an example, Kyo Bancha is made by roasting large tea leaves until they gain a rather smoky aroma, but Kaga Bocha roasts only the stems (also called “sticks”). In addition, there are many other traditional teas, including Awa Bancha and Mimasaka Bancha, which feature their own unique elements to this day.

As part of its efforts to protect the unique teas produced in the region, the Tea Commerce & Industry’s Association of Ishikawa Prefecture registered the name “Kaga Bocha” as a regional trademark in January 2020. Currently, Kaga Bocha can only be used for roasted tea that is made in Ishikawa Prefecture using tea stems and a unique process that originated in the Kaga region. The tea’s sweet taste and fragrant aroma have captivated people from around the globe, making it a necessity to spread awareness of the tea and also to protect its status as a key part of Ishikawa’s tea culture.

Naturally, a shop that has been around as long as Nodaya Chaten has always enjoyed a steady stream of customers.

“Some of our customers are in their 80s or 90s, even. They often buy 10 packs or more at a time. We take their order over the phone and then ship the product to them since their children often ask them to send some tea as well. They tell us, ‘We can’t drink anything else.’ Originally, it was referred to as bancha or just bocha, so not a lot of people knew that the tea they were drinking every day was actually called Kaga Bocha,” remarks Seiichi.

More recently, Kaga Bocha has been widely associated with cafes and various tea-based sweets, but the people of Ishikawa simply know it as the tea that they drink every day. Indeed, it is the perfect daily cup of tea, with the inviting aroma that fills the air upon brewing it with hot water, to its brisk sweetness and lingering aftertaste.

“What choice did I have?! Still, I was doing what I love.”

Although it is a popular tea, the conditions for making Kaga Bocha can be quite harsh. As mentioned in the first part of this feature, the roastery feels like a sauna when the roasters are operating at full capacity. Masateru married into the Nodaya Chaten family at the age of 23, exactly 60 years ago, and handled the laborious task of making the Kaga Bocha.

“I was actually more involved with sales than roasting. I loved working in sales. It was over the course of my first three months that I learned how to roast the tea. Once I took over, I also switched us over to a larger, sand-based roaster. At first, I used the gas line provided by the city, but the flame was weak during the afternoon, so I switched over to propane in order to maintain the necessary heat levels. Besides, there wasn’t anybody else to do it, so what choice did I have?”

Looking back on his time, Masateru says that the tea business was a lucrative one, so he was simply happy to be able to make a living by selling tea.

“I found it to be rewarding, as it made my customers happy too. In those days, we’d get orders by phone and rather than simply just delivering the merchandise to them, we’d go around to other houses as well and ask if they wanted to buy some tea. That’s how tea shops used to operate. As a result, we’re the oldest tea shop in all of Kanazawa. We go all the way back to the Edo period. I’m the fourth generation and have been doing this for about 60 years now. Thankfully, I love what I do, so I never grew tired of the work.”

Since 2000, the shop has exhibited its wares in a variety of locations nationwide such as department stores, which led Masateru to be extremely busy with both the roasting and sales side of the business.

“I was attending those types of events 18 times per year,” says Masateru.

“He’d roast extremely large quantities of tea to take with him, and then once he got back, he’d immediately start roasting more,” adds Kazumi.

“There was nobody else to do it. What choice did I have?!” replies Masateru.

Once the shop expanded the sale of its products to people from around the country, it started testing out different roasting levels, which led to the current selection of three types. Masateru continued to give his all to the business until he fell ill about ten years ago, forcing his daughter Kazumi to take over the roasting process. Meanwhile, Seiichi, who previously worked at a healthcare company, assumed control of the business side.

“The idea of closing the shop never entered my mind. Up to that point, I’d been working for the shop, and I had some experience roasting the tea, so I figured I could possibly do it, but it was just something that I knew I had to do. Besides, it’s not like there was anybody else to take over,” says Kazumi.

“Exactly. What choice did we have?!” exclaims Masateru.

“Hahaha… I feel like that saying has also been passed down within our family,” Kazumi says with a laugh.

“However, it was a big help for me and the shop. It’s not like I was slacking off or anything, but once I entered my 50s, I ended up handing off the roasting work, including some of which to Kazumi. In the end, I’d say the succession went rather well,” Masateru continues.

“Afterwards, my father’s health began to continually decline, so I knew we didn’t really have any other choice. So, I took over roasting the tea, and although some people remarked that the flavor was different, I believe some of them thought that my father was still handling the roast. Although, I’m not sure whether that’s a good or bad thing,” comments Kazumi.

“Of course, it’s a good thing. We’ve been through a lot over the years, but it all worked out in the end,” says Masateru.

It became clear to me that I’m able to enjoy this tea today because of the strong bonds that unite this family. Kazumi maintains the same flavor by turning to her memories of the flavors and aromas that she experienced as a young girl, and from watching her father’s work over the years. Once again, I ask Masateru about the unique flavor he has created with his teas. Was there a particular kind of flavor that he was searching for?

Surprisingly, Masateru replies, “That’s not something I’ve ever really thought about. Kaga Bocha is a tea that has been unique to Ishikawa Prefecture over the years. Naturally, I always thought it was delicious whenever I drank it. The direct roasting method over an open flame gives the tea a somewhat savory or perhaps sweet flavor. Meanwhile, the sand roasting adds a distinct aroma to it. I don’t think there are many places that combine the two methods like we do. Every time we do a roast, there are always subtle differences between them. However, I always watched the process closely in order to find out which particular method stood out.” Indeed, it seems the process has become like second nature to him through years of experience.

Now it is up to Kazumi to carry on that tradition. While there might be pressure involved with following 165 years of history, I wonder what kind of thoughts cross her mind while she works.

“I’m always focused on the task at hand. Therefore, it’s not so much that I’m thinking about following in my father’s footsteps, but just doing the best I can in the moment,” says Kazumi.

“Yes, that’s a good point. If you’re too worried about carrying on a tradition, you’ll never be able to properly accomplish anything. Simply concentrate on the work in front of you, and if there are incremental changes you can make over time, then go ahead and try them,” adds Seiichi.

“Not just anybody can properly roast tea. So, I’m always trying to give it my absolute best!” exclaims Kazumi, causing Masateru to reply, “As long as our customers keep coming back, that is the most important thing.”

Ultimately, it is family that makes the tea at Nodaya Chaten. As someone who has experienced the resulting flavor for myself, I can definitely say that it is like the “familiar taste of home.”

Nodaya Chaten
A tea shop located in the Tatemachi district of Kanazawa City in Ishikawa Prefecture, it was first established in 1859 (Ansei Year 6). It serves Kaga Bocha, which is a beloved tea made from the roasted stems of the first harvest, and has many loyal fans throughout the country. Masateru Noda, the fourth-generation proprietor who ran the shop for approximately 60 years, was recently succeeded by his daughter Kazumi Izumi, who continues the shop’s long tradition of roasting Kaga Bocha tea. The cafe serves tea such as Kaga Bocha, as well as ice cream parfaits and an ice cream-based zenzai, which is a traditional Japanese dessert soup made with azuki beans that is popular with both tourists and locals alike.
3 Tatemachi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa
www.nodayatea.jp

Photo by Kumi Nishitani
Text (originally in Japanese) by Yoshiki Tatezaki