What is this tea stalk that almost every cup of tea in anime has?
Here are two photos of tea stalks in their natural habitat:
I've never seen those myself when I made tea, and I've been making at least two cups of tea every day for the past six years.
Is it a Japanese tea thing? Is it sorted out from the leaves in other regions? I've been buying some export green teas from Japan (sencha mostly) but I've never had any tea stalks appear in my cups. How do I get them?
Best Answer
One type of tea style popular in Japan is Karigane (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karigane_(tea)#Karigane) Karigane tea is made from the stalks, not the leaves. This means anything that slips out of the teapot's strainer will be a stalk. This could be one of many types of Japanese tea: you can find Gyokuro Karigane (the stems and veins of Gyokuro tea leaves) or Hojicha/Houjicha Karigane (stems of tea leaves roasted in the same way as standard Houjicha.)
Stem teas tend to be a lighter, more delicate version of their heavier-hitting leafy counterparts.
You can also find blended teas, where there will be leaves as well as stems in the mix.
P.S. I like the "natural habitat" line :)
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Quick Answer about "What is this tea stalk that almost every cup of tea in anime has?"
A tea stalk floating vertically is called chabashira (lit: tea pillar). Seeing a chabashira, we feel happy, saying “Engi(luck)ga (is) ii (good).” So now we knew what it was called, and that it meant good luck, but we weren't sure what tea it occurred in—it had certainly never happened at Tea Haus!What is the stick in Japanese tea?
KukichaOther namesStalk tea, stick tea, twig teaOriginJapanQuick descriptionPopular in Japan, taste between that of gyokuro and sencha, with a light flavour and a fresh green aromaTemperature80 \xb0C (176 \xb0F)6 more rowsWhat is the tea in anime?
The tea anime characters offer is matcha. Matcha is a Japanese style of tea that grinds the leaves into a powder. Mix with hot water and enjoy.What is a lucky tea stalk?
A stem standing upright in your tea is lucky. Tea merchants used to have a problem selling tea with stems in it, so they started telling customers that the standing stems were good luck. If a single stalk comes to the top, it could mean a stranger will visit, or the arrival of a lover! Be sure to drop some leaves.What do Japanese put in green tea?
The most important elements which create the taste and aroma of Japanese green tea are Catechin, Theanine (amino acid), and Caffeine. Much Catechin is found in tea leaves that are grown in bright sunlight. Sencha and Houjicha (Bancha) are rich in Catechin.The history of tea - Shunan Teng
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Answer 2
I disagree with the other answer. Karigane, or the cheaper Kukicha, are indeed teas where stalks are intentional and not a fault. AFAIK they're not an obscurity in Japan, but hardly a mainstream tea. So it is not likely a reference to this kind of tea.
In reality, a tea stalk swimming upright in a cup of tea is simply a well-known lucky omen in Japanese tea culture. It's called ‘chabashira’ (??), which means ‘tea pillar’.
Tea stalks can occur in normal tea and slip through strainer and even stand upright – but that's rare. Just because it's common in anime (because of the symbolism), it isn't common in real-life Japan.
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Images: Sokha Thlang, cottonbro, Daniela Constantini, Abby Kihano