Reina Sakao, fourth-generation of a tea house in Japan, was born into a tea family, Her great-grandfather began exporting tea outside Japan during the Meiji era. Since then, her family has been dedicated to offering authentic Japanese green tea both in Japan and abroad. The Sakao family proudly continues to preserve its knowledge and exclusive methods of tea leaf processing for over a hundred years.
In addition to importing a tea collection that she supplies to various cafes, shops, restaurants, and individual clients in Canada, Reina hosts Japanese tea ceremonies, called cha-no-yu.
She began practicing tea ceremony with her grandmother at the age of 14 and is now a second-level Urasenke instructor.Reina hosts tea ceremonies as part of various festivals, corporate events, and private gatherings in Canada and Mexico, and she also offers a virtual Matcha workshop.
She recently decided to adopt the nickname " Madame Matcha » il y a peu. Bien sûr, ça ne veut pas dire qu’elle partage uniquement sa passion pour le matcha, en fait, c’est surtout synonyme d’une personne qui représente le japon en général. Car le monde du thé va au-delà du matcha, pourtant très emblématique. Au fil des années, elle est devenue une experte qui apprécie de partager la culture japonaise à travers le Cha No Yu. She founded the branch of the tea house, originally located in Tokyo, in Montreal, to offer Japanese tea products she is proud of and to carry on the tradition of her family as the 4th generation of this tea house.
Her mission, as she sees it, is not only to introduce people to tea culture but also to Japanese culture more broadly. She sincerely believes that a moment of zen, especially during pandemic times, is a beautiful gift to give oneself. Creating an occasion, celebrating the beauty of a moment, taking care of oneself—this is what Cha No Yu offers us. And no matter where one comes from or what one does, this is what she aims to share and help others discover.
