Observed arrival · 2026-09-15
Kabuki’s Five-Cup Tea Game
A Montreal tasting session turns six centuries of Japanese tea-contest history into a blind guessing game.
Field notes
The session uses a five-tea structure: guests learn four reference teas, then identify a concealed fifth cup by comparison. Cups are brewed behind a screen, shuffled, and recorded one at a time without allowing answer changes. The format accommodates eight people for 90 minutes, followed by another tasting and an explanation of the results. The site also gives practical constraints: roughly ten small cups, caffeine comparable to two coffees, no decaffeinated option, and a wheat- and nut-free pudding.
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