First Experience with Chabakuki: Learning Through the Senses

Today, thanks to an introduction from Hori-san in Wazuka, we joined a practice session of Chabakuki, a traditional tea-tasting game. It was our first attempt — scoring 8 out of 20 — and while challenging, it sparked a strong interest.

The session featured sencha and gyokuro from four regions: Kagoshima, Shizuoka, Wazuka, and Uji. Although the rules are simple — tasting each tea once and identifying its origin — the game requires full use of the senses, sharp memory, and years of experience in understanding the character of each tea. Some participants even achieved perfect scores, which was truly inspiring. 

Our goal is to consistently score above 10 within a year. A big thank you to Hori-san for the introduction.