Chapter 5
Everything about Temomi, Hand-Rolled Tea
The tea that hands were meant to make
Almost all the tea on the shelves today is made by machine. Before mechanisation, every leaf was rolled by hand. The tea of a thousand years ago — the tea that was called an elixir of long life — was without exception hand-rolled tea.
These five lessons cover hand-rolled tea making. What they do not give you is a step-by-step manual. The theory of how to draw the water out of the leaf, the feel of the rolling movements, the tools and conditions you need to prepare — these are parts, not instructions.
Only when you hold a clear picture of the tea you want to make, and design the whole process yourself, does hand-rolling become a living practice.
Lessons in this chapter (5)
- 01 Temomi-Tea Will Change Your World A thousand years ago, the tea called an elixir of long life was all hand-rolled. Why bringing hand-rolling back into daily life means bringing back tea itself, and tea culture with it.
- 02 The Theory and Target of Temomi-Tea The ultimate goal of rolling is to draw out not only surface water but the core moisture inside the leaf. The S-curve principle governing how pressure, heat and drying are applied over time.
- 03 The Key Points of Temomi-Tea Operations From designing the whole flow to the feel of the movements — rotating at least a full turn, and the friction generated inside the mass of leaf rather than under the hand.
- 04 The Settings of Temomi-Tea The height and material of the rolling table, the room conditions that prevent surface-drying, and the maker’s own physical condition. What to check and prepare before you begin.
- 05 The Spirit of Temomi-Tea Why no step-by-step manual is given. Holding a vision of the tea you want to make and designing the whole yourself — that active stance is what makes hand-rolling a living practice.