When we were dreaming up the menu years ago when our first cafe was set to open, we knew that we wanted partner with someone who was as passionate about tea as we were about coffee. We wanted to make sure that our tea menu was intentional, great quality and delicious and JagaSilk was the perfect fit.
JagaSilk is owned and operated by Jared and Myuki Nyberg and was established in 2005. They are maccha green tea enthusiasts, educators and farmer direct importers of seasonal teas. They essentially curate, blend and brew.
They focus on stories, careful preparation and honouring the hard work of the farmer producers.
We here at Monogram, have had a lot of fun over the years experimenting and creating many different seasonal tea drinks for our menu, and we thought it was time that we featured a recipe created by the lovely team over at JagaSilk!
Before we get to the recipe, we asked Jared some questions so that we could all get to know them a little better!
What are you inspired by?
People who spend years, decades focused on their craft.
Education, knowledge sharing and cultural meaning.
What does community mean to you?
Networks of humans and their ecosystems attempting to find a common language, spoken and unspoken, where we can find a way to live harmoniously, even though we are all so weird.
If you’re not drinking tea, what would you be drinking?
Coffee, water, wine, sometimes in the same meal...
Do you have a favourite tea? What is it, and why?
Really getting into charcoal roasted wulongs these days. I inevitably gravitate back to maccha, but really enjoying the cooked sugars, floral high notes and overall aromatic journey in the work coming out of Phoenix Mountain in China.
What is your favourite meal, cuisine or snack?
Pasta made with fresh tomatoes and good olive oil and whatever seems like a good idea in the fridge.
What is your favourite tea to create recipes with?
Maccha. It is so very dexterous, allowing for infinite possibilities with its ability to do well in both light and creamy recipes.
What is your inspiration behind this recipe?
We wanted to create a recipe with Japanese influence (black sesame is a popular flavour in the country) and make something simple but interesting. We just can't get enough of that Maillard reaction with that toasting of the sesame seeds. It just does something magical. We felt it an interesting way to bring something rich and creamy and different to a maccha latte.
RECIPE // Black Sesame Maccha
Ingredients:
- 100 grams black sesame seeds, toasted
- 300 grams honey
- 300 grams water
Method:
- Toast black sesame seeds until they are fragrant
- Add all ingredients into a blender and blend extremely well
- Pass ingredients through a sieve
To make your drink!
Hot maccha //
- Add 40 grams of concentrate into a steaming pitcher
- Prep 140 grams milk (or mylk)
- Steam and pour over top of your maccha shot
- Add 40 grams of concentrate into a glass and top with ice, cold milk (or mylk) and a shot of maccha!
We really hope you make this recipe at home and share it with your friends and family! It is super delicious - Thank you JagaSilk!