Amin Abbas

ABU DHABI: In February, IKIGAI-SHU launched the Wabi Japanese Tea Bar & Experience pop up concept, which focuses on outdoor tea events.

To celebrate the start of the new tea harvesting season, Wabi Tea Bar was present at ‘The Ripe Market Academy Park’ in Dubai. The guests of the Ripe Market could enjoy a wide range of authentic Japanese teas, from traditional brews, sparkling teas and sophisticated barista drinks.

To embellish the experience, 4 tea events have been recently organized where Matcha workshops have been held in the morning and gathered the tea lovers who enjoy not only traditional tea ceremony, but the holistic effect that high quality matcha provides.

Attendees have been guided by Viktoryia Toma, Japanese Tea Master, on selecting matcha and matcha tools and enjoying authentic ceremonial grade matcha from Uji region, Kyoto Prefecture.  In the afternoons, tea lovers enjoyed sencha-do (loose tea ceremony). Teas from Fukuoka and Shizuoka have been paired with artisanal tea-based desserts.

All sessions have been done in DIY format, allowing attendees to practice brewing teas using traditional matcha and loose tea tools.

Viktoryia Toma, IKIGAI-SHU’s CEO and Founder told Arab News Japan that the format of the interactive tea events and workshops provides the opportunity to experience the traditional Japanese tea culture and acquire a solid foundation on appreciating the world of tea.

Ikigaicha Japanese Boutique and Wabi Japanese Tea Bar are IKIGAI-SHU’s concepts that bring Japanese tea closer to tea lovers in the UAE and beyond.

She added that IKIGAI-SHU has a tight calendar of events, workshops and masterclasses focuses on Japanese tea, pottery and cuisine in the upcoming days.

IKIGAI-SHU is the official representative of the Global Japanese Tea Association in the UAE. It is devoted to demystifying Japanese tea category and educating trade professionals and tea enthusiasts on the ways of selecting, brewing and enjoying Japanese tea.