Cherry blossom (Sakura, 桜, 櫻花)

We may have said it before, but it bears repeating: the last day of April is a very special day in Uppsala.Imaginatively known as Sista April (the last day of April) it is perhaps the busiest day (and night) of the year for the city – it certainly is for Uppsala’s student population! As mentioned in a previous newsletter, in the rest of Sweden the day is known as Valborg, the Eve of St Walpurgis Day, May 1st. On the day, the long-awaited end of winter is celebrated with bonfires and general merrymaking. In Uppsala however, it has become the focus of a host of student traditions, some old, some new - and some just plain odd. These include shooting a weir on the river Fyris in homemade polystyrene boats, singing a choral song outside the walls of Uppsala castle, the “champagne gallop” where everyone gets soaked in (hopefully cheap) bubbly, and, of course, the 3 p.m. cap throwing for students and attending a formal Valborg ball for their betters. For a more comprehensive explanation of these traditions and their history you could do worse than click here! 

Cherry blossom in Uppsala, Nannaskolan

Jewellery Box丨Cherry blossom

Last year’s Sista April fell just shortly after Yocha Studio had opened its doors for the first time. Fearing a less than optimum outcome from the mix of thousands of happy students, copious amounts of alcohol and our recently arrived delicate design items and tea ware, we decided, with some misgivings, to close on the day. This year however we are being a little braver and will be joining in the Sista April festivities with gusto - and plenty of tea and Asian snacks of course! And we’re especially happy that our first Sista April is an extra special one - the 200th anniversary of the first time Uppsala’s students sang the song “Våren är kommen” (Spring is Here) beside the Gunilla Bell back in April,1823 (as those of you who dutifully clicked above will already know!)

So, now that Valborg and Uppsala’s student singers have reminded us that summer is just around the corner, here at Yocha Studio we’ve decided it’s time to unveil our new summer drinks menu. Some of the delights in store for you include: Jasmine Iced Cofftea, Oolong Island Iced Tea and Bubble Café Latte, which are all as tasty and as intriguing as they sound. Keep an eye out for these delicious new concoctions as the days lengthen (even more) and the temperatures soar… OK, at least rise moderately. Of course, warmer days and the chance of some rays mean we’ll shortly be opening our outdoor seating area, so why not throw caution to the wind, sit out in the Uppsala sunshine, enjoy a summer drink and watch the world go by.

And it is not only our drinks list that is expanding as summer approaches, the Yocha team at Kungsängsgatan/Går Gatan will also be growing as we are joined by some new faces next month to help us deal with our growing number of regulars and visitors. We wish our new staff all the best and are sure they’ll soon become as familiar to you as the Yocha faces you already know and love so well.

This month saw a number of brave participants take part in our latest cultural workshop, an introduction to the intricate art of making Song Dynasty Whipped Tea (宋代点茶, Song Dai Dian Cha). Developed during the Song Dynasty in the 10th Century, the process involves whipping finally powdered tea until it becomes “a foam as rich and milky as snowflakes”. If that sounds familiar it’s probably because this is generally thought to be the origin of today’s popular Matcha Tea drinks. Not all of our workshop tea fans may have attained the “milky snowflake” goal, but they did extremely well for a first try, as you can see.

Song Dynasty Whipped Tea Workshop

Tea Tray丨 Song Dynasty Painting

If that whets your appetite for Asian culture, or just tea in general, then you’re in luck – we have at least two more workshops scheduled for next month. First, another Chinese Tea Blind Tasting – this is where you get to try out several different quality teas brewed in the Kung Fu style and decide which is your favourite, but to make it more interesting you can try to guess which tea is which from the taste, aroma and colour!  Then a little later in May we’ll be holding our first Japanese workshop! We’re happy to have locally based Japanese expert Eriko Iwata who will be giving an introduction to Japanese language and writing as well as looking at key aspects of this fascinating culture - いらっしゃいませ！

And finally… if you can’t make it to Uppsala for the Valborg/Sista April frolics in person, don’t worry; falling in a river, getting soaked in champagne and losing your prize student cap are probably overrated anyway. Instead why not snuggle up to your own little bonfire wherever you are (not too close now!), take out your device of choice and check out our website www.yochastudio.com or social media channels for news on all our Asian design products (including recently arrived stock) available for purchase online – all with delivery to your door.

Till next month, may all your showers be small ones!

The Yocha Team.

Teacup Set丨Four Seasons