Tsuen honten

This is the oldest tea shop in the world. They’ve been in business since the 1100’s. The location is easy to get to from Kyoto by two different trains, and the shop is picturesquely located next to the river. The tea is a bit on the pricey end, but it’s grown locally and comes in beautiful packaging.
One curiosity about their tea, though. We tried several samples of the tea they served, and we thought they all tasted salty. We do not have an explanation for this, as tea from the area doesn’t taste salty. Also, we bought some of the tea and brewed it ourselves, and it did not taste salty. So be aware of that if you go there. The tea you sample may taste salty, but it’s still good if you brew it on your own.