評論
打印
In the foyer of a Japanese vegetarian restaurant on East 39th Street, around the corner from several nail salons and the House of Lasagna, a Japanese tea ceremony was unfolding.
從幾家美甲店和意式千層面館(House of Lasagna)拐過街角，在東39街一個日本素餐廳的門廳里，一場日式茶道正在進行。
Kato Riichiro, the manager of Ippodo Tea, had before him a whisk, a sieve, a wooden spoon and, most important, a bowl of vivid green powder. This is matcha, a very particular kind of Japanese tea that is not easy to come across even in such a caffeinated city.
一保堂茶鋪(Ippodo Tea)的經理加藤理一郎(Kato Riichiro)面前放著一個攪拌器、一個濾網和一個木勺，以及最重要的一碗鮮綠的茶粉。這是抹茶，一種非常特別的日本茶，甚至在紐約這座鐘愛咖啡因的城市里，你也不容易碰到它。
Waiting for her order was Niovi Christopoulou, 36, who works nearby and discovered Ippodo Tea a couple of weeks ago. She now comes in most afternoons for a “thin matcha” ($4.25).
點這杯抹茶的是36歲的尼奧維·克里斯托普洛(Niovi Christopoulou)，她在附近工作，幾周前發現了一保堂茶鋪。現在她幾乎每天下午都來這里買“淡抹茶”（4.25美元）。
Mr. Riichiro added boiling water into the bowl and whisked the mixture until it was smooth. He poured the tea into a regular to-go cup with a lid.
理一郎在碗中加入沸水，攪拌混合，直至變滑。他把茶倒入一個普通的帶蓋子的外賣杯中。
“For mental energy, it’s better than coffee,” Ms. Christopoulou said.
“從提神的角度講，它比咖啡管用，”克里斯托普洛說。
Matcha, which comes from specially cultivated tea plants grown only in Japan, is not especially loaded with caffeine, with a cup containing only 25 to 70 milligrams. (An eight-ounce cup of coffee has from 95 to 200 milligrams.) But unlike coffee, matcha is full of theanine, an amino acid that has a calming effect, balancing the jitters some get from caffeine. It also has an unusual flavor — earthy, with a lingering umami aftertaste — that few teas do. In Japan, matcha is mainly for ceremonial events, but the green tea is finding a wider audience in the United States.
抹茶產自僅在日本種植、經特殊培植的茶樹，它的咖啡因含量并不是特別高，一杯僅含25至70毫克咖啡因（一杯8盎司的咖啡含95至200毫克咖啡因）。不過跟咖啡不同，抹茶中含有大量茶氨酸，它是一種具有鎮定作用的氨基酸，能平衡咖啡因給某些人帶來的亢奮。它還有一種不同尋常的味道——有泥土的芳香，還有一種長久的甘甜回味——別的茶幾乎都沒有這種味道。在日本，抹茶主要用于儀式活動，但是這種綠茶在美國擁有更廣泛的消費群體。
Ippodo Tea is a nearly 300-year-old Japanese company based in Kyoto with a shop also in Tokyo. The New York location is its first international storefront.
一保堂茶鋪是京都一家有300年歷史的日本公司，在東京也有分店。紐約分店是它的第一家海外分店。
It opened here in April 2013, after the company realized that most of its online sales were coming from the area. Besides serving ready-brewed tea, Ippodo sells bulk bags of tea and the tools to prepare matcha at home. The store is little more than a long counter that occupies the front space of Kajitsu, a Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant. Tea drinkers must take their beverages to go; the seats are for dining guests only.
這家公司發現它的產品在網上主要銷往這個區域，所以2013年4月在紐約開了家分店。除了供應泡好的茶水，這里還銷售大包裝的茶以及在家泡抹茶的工具。這家店其實只有一個長長的柜臺，位于米其林星級日本餐館Kajitsu的門廳里。喝茶的人必須把茶帶走喝，座位只留給那些在這里用餐的顧客。
While Ippodo also has other green teas, including sencha, the most popular tea in Japan, the thin matcha is the most popular drink in the store. The matcha slushy, tea over shaved ice, and matcha lattes were developed for the New York outpost to appeal to a Starbucks-drinking customer. Most teas are $3 to $5, a range familiar to the Starbucks crowd.
一保堂茶鋪也賣其他種類的綠茶，包括日本最流行的煎茶，但是該店最暢銷的是淡抹茶。抹茶刨冰和抹茶拿鐵是為了吸引常喝星巴克的紐約顧客而開發的。大部分茶水3至5美元，星巴克也是這個價位。
Yuichi Ikeuchi, 26, was visiting from Tokyo with a friend when they stumbled upon Ippodo near their hotel. Mr. Ikeuchi ordered a matcha latte to see how Americans drink the tea.
26歲的池內雄一(Yuichi Ikeuchi)和一個朋友從東京來旅行，他們在酒店附近偶然發現了一保堂茶鋪。他點了一份抹茶拿鐵，想看看美國人是怎么喝茶的。
“I imagined it was going to be very sweet, but it’s not,” he said. “I like it.”
“我以為會很甜，但其實不是，”他說，“我挺喜歡的。”
Victor Sarto and Dan Grossfield stopped in after a walk from their office nearby. Mr. Grossfield, 36, had been to Ippodo Tea before and brought Mr. Sarto, 31, to have his first cup. Mr. Sarto had the gyokuro, a highly caffeinated green tea. Mr. Grossfield had the thick matcha, which has twice as much matcha as the thin version and is more viscous.
維克托·薩爾托(Victor Sarto)和丹·格勞斯菲爾德(Dan Grossfield)是從附近的辦公室出來散步順便來這里。36歲的格勞斯菲爾德以前來過這里，這是他第一次把31歲的薩爾托帶來品嘗。薩爾托點的是玉露，它是一種咖啡因含量很高的綠茶。格勞斯菲爾德點的是濃抹茶，它的抹茶含量是淡抹茶的兩倍，更粘稠。
“It has a little bitter taste to it,” Mr. Grossfield said. “But definitely in a pleasant way.”
“它喝起來有點苦，”格勞斯菲爾德說，“不過當然是那種好喝的苦味。”
Mr. Sarto, who said he usually drank espresso, compared his tea to seaweed.
薩爾托說他通常是喝濃咖啡，他把自己點的茶比作海藻。
“If I want a change of pace, I’d drink it again,” Mr. Sarto said.
“如果我什么時候想換換口味，肯定還會來喝的，”薩爾托說。
