Story and photos by Richard Nahem, Eye Prefer Paris CorrespondentCarol Negiar invited me for a tea tasting at her shop Chajin, The House of Japanese Green Tea, last May but between schedule conflicts and vacances, I couldn’t get there till last month.
The cozy shop is located on a tranquil street in the 8th arrondissement in between the busy Madeleine and St. Lazare areas. Entering the shop, Carol greeted me warmly. I felt I was entering her home rather than a shop, as she was wearing a pair of soft wool clogs that looked like comfy bedroom slippers. I snooped around in every nook and cranny as any good detective/reporter/blogger would, and found this unknown world of tea and tea products. All the while, Carol patiently told me about the shop, green tea, the chemistry of green tea, and anything I would possibly ever want to know about green tea and more.
I learned that Carol opened the shop in 2001 and specializes in only green tea from Japan, selling 24 varieties including matcha and shincha. In fact, she works with and is part owner of two tea plantations in the two of the best tea regions, Ugi and Shizuoka. She also offers weekly tea tastings and an occasional Japanese tea ceremony, upon request. There’s a wide selection of tea accessories such as strainers, cups, porcelain and iron teapots, kama and furo (used for Japanese tea ceremony), and tea containers. If you want a nibble, there are yummy desserts like Yokan, green tea and sweetened azuki with chestnuts,Fuyo Daifkuku, and matcha green tea cake. If you want a light lunch, Carol can whip up Ochazuki, a dish with rice, tuna and green tea.
I am really a coffee person but will have the occasional cup of tea. Carol brewed two types for me to sample. The first was a shincha which was served on a round lacquered tray with a red clay teapot and poured into a white porcelain cup decorated with blue flowers. The delicate green leaves fell to the bottom of the cup and I waited a few moments for it to settle and then sipped. It was soothing and calming with an intoxicating aroma. As I sipped, Carol explained the chemical and health aspects thoroughly. Chajin can mean tea master or tea student, and it was the perfect word to describe my experience, as Carol the tea master imparted her wisdom and knowledge. The second tea was a grilled twig tea and had a heavier, more intense flavor.
As we wrapped up my visit, Carol was so kind to give me a generous gift of a bag of tea smartly packaged in brown paper and a tea strainer. I am still a coffee person but now I have an appreciation for green tea which I now have more than occasionally.
24 rue Pasquier, 8th arr.
Metro: Madeleine or St. Lazare
Open Monday to Friday, 12:30PM- 6:30PM
Tel. 01 53 30 05 24
http://www.chajin-online.com
Richard Nahem is a native New Yorker who now lives in Paris. A successful New York City event planner and producer of cultural events, he has worked with many celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker, Whitney Houston, and Joan Rivers. After a teenage trip to Paris made him an instant Francophile, he visited the city frequently until he made it his home (in 2005). With 25 years of rave reviews from friends and colleagues, Richard decided to take his own private tours of “his” Paris public. His goal for Eye Prefer Paris Tours is to provide fun, adventurous, and exciting tours of Paris for the independent-spirited traveler.
