T Ching Contributing Writer
Holly Helt grew up in Japan sipping Japanese tea from the tender age of three. With a burning desire to share this magical beverage with the world, she founded Chiki Tea and wrote the book Green is the New Black – the Glorious Rise of Japanese Tea. Chiki Tea, based in Japan, works with artisan farmers in Kyushu that Holly knows personally from years of cultivating these relationships. Representing the best matcha in Japan and working with masters to produce exclusive loose leaf teas, Chiki Tea exports products that are not available outside of Japan.
Holly has studied two methods of tea ceremony, both Urasenke and lesser known Yabunouchi, which has direct lineage to Sen-no Rikyu (known as the father of the tea ceremony), and is the school of practice for samurai. In 2013 she co-founded Chiki Tea – a Japanese/American fusion pairing Japanese green teas with Western flavors such as brownies, scones and cheesecake.
The flagship Chiki Tea café and retail outlet in Nakatsu (Kyushu) is fast becoming regarded as the go-to place for great-tasting matcha from Yame and premium kabuse senchas from Kagoshima but is also famous for Holly’s family recipes for granola, cookies, muffins, and cakes.
Chiki Tea is a UK company with a Japanese subsidiary.
Website
Posts by Holly Helt
- Tips for a Frothier Matcha Top! (4/19/2022)
- The Bamboo Whisk With a 500-Year History (2/23/2022)
- Getting the Grade on Matcha (12/14/2021)
- Green Tea 101: Health Benefits Made Simple (11/22/2021)
- Tea Time Scottsdale: Tea Merchant’s Review (10/27/2021)
- The Essential Guide to Matcha: Matcha Recipes (9/23/2021)
- What is Higashi? (8/27/2021)
- Boosting Your Water for Tea – Part Two (7/23/2021)
- Boosting Your Water for Tea – Part One (6/29/2021)
- Hotaru Shincha – What is Shincha (5/20/2021)
- Tea From Takachiho (3/31/2021)
- The Japanese White Tea Odyssey – Part 2 (1/27/2021)
- The Japanese White Tea Odyssey – Part 1 (1/26/2021)
- Naturally Reduce Caffeine in Green Tea (1/5/2021)
- The Essential Guide to Matcha: Japanese Matcha Versus Imposters (10/26/2020)
- The Essential Guide to Matcha: Matcha Processing (9/22/2020)
- The Essential Guide to Matcha: What Is Matcha? (8/25/2020)
- What is UMAMI?! (7/8/2020)
- It’s Time For Ice Brew Hon Gyokuro – Part 2 (6/2/2020)
- It’s Time For Ice Brew Hon Gyokuro – Part 1 (6/1/2020)
- Wild Organic Tea – Third Installment (5/12/2020)
- Wild Organic Tea – Second Installment (4/6/2020)
- Wild Organic Tea From Shikoku (2/27/2020)
- Why Do You, um, Pee so Much With Green Tea? (1/22/2020)
- Get Merry With Matcha This Holiday (12/19/2019)
- Matcha for your FACE! (11/21/2019)
- One Simple Trick to Test Tea Quality (10/7/2019)
- MCT Your Matcha Latte! (8/28/2019)
- Lazy Sunday Matcha Pancakes (7/25/2019)
- Matcha Myth Busters! – Part 2 (6/20/2019)
- Matcha Myth Busters! – Part 1 (6/19/2019)
- Matcha Iced Tea: Taking the Dirt Out of Matcha (5/27/2019)
- A Glimpse Into the Tea Ceremony: Chaji – Part 2 (4/17/2019)
- A Glimpse Into the Tea Ceremony: Chaji – Part 1 (4/16/2019)
- A Glimpse Into the Tea Ceremony: Chakai Versus Chaji – Part 2 (4/2/2019)
- A Glimpse Into the Tea Ceremony: Chakai Versus Chaji – Part 1 (4/1/2019)
- A Glimpse Into the Tea Ceremony (2/19/2019)
- Kyobancha, the Winter Warmer (1/17/2019)
- The Black Belt Chazutsu Masters (12/18/2018)
- Meet the Master Chef of Shampoo! (11/21/2018)
- Go Green this Halloween!! (10/22/2018)
- Baking with Matcha 101 (9/24/2018)
- A Chiki Little Matcha Bar Opens (8/21/2018)
- Shining the Spotlight on Great Japanese Cultivars – Part Two (6/20/2018)
- Shining the Spotlight on Great Japanese Cultivars – Part One (6/19/2018)
- The Caffeine Issue (5/21/2018)
- Wacky Uses For Tea Leaves (4/26/2018)
- Wild Organic Yuzu-cha (2/28/2018)
- FUNmatsucha (1/30/2018)
- 10 years, 2 weeks and 10 days to make one teacup (12/14/2017)
- What Number Is Your Tea? (11/8/2017)
- Blending Japanese Tea (7/11/2017)
- Newbie Tips for Japanese Tea (6/13/2017)
- Shincha Flash + the Easiest Way to Brew Tea! (5/8/2017)
- Keeping your tea fresh (4/10/2017)
- Tea Steeping Innovation (3/13/2017)
- Houjicha: roasted Japanese green tea (2/20/2017)
- Crunch time for loose leaf Japanese green tea (1/11/2017)
- Hon Gyokuro (12/14/2016)
- A Sencha with a Twist (11/15/2016)
- A visit from Mr Gyokuro (10/31/2016)
- Behind the Scenes at the Tea Auction (10/6/2016)
- Japanese Green Tea: The Inside Story (9/6/2016)
- The Best Kept Secret for Boosting Inferior Leaves (8/24/2016)
- It’s Time to CHILL! (6/21/2016)
- Why is the Matcha in London so… Bad?! (6/1/2016)
- Shaken, not Stirred! (4/26/2016)
- What’s That Black Thing in Your Water? (3/21/2016)
- A Happy, Healthy, and Creative New Year, Folks! (1/21/2016)
- Just Building a Tea Shop! (12/10/2015)
- Japan: The Race Against Bottled Teas (10/19/2015)
- Why We Left London for the Japanese Countryside (9/21/2015)
- Tea Pairings, Chiki Style! (7/27/2015)