What is the Proper way to Brew Japanese Green Tea?
A cup of Japanese green tea is refreshing and usually delicious, but sometimes the flavor of the tea seems inconsistent, with one batch being more bitter or grassy than another. This often has to do with how you prepare the tea. Green tea benefits from a little more care during the brewing process, and knowing how to prepare the tea properly makes it more likely that you'll consistently have delicious tea rather than the hit-and-miss quality you've experienced.
Don't Use Boiling Water (for the Most Part)
In general, green tea requires very hot (but not boiling) water for optimum flavor. Most green teas do best with water that's about 175 degrees Fahrenheit, while water used for Gyokuro tea should be at 140 F. Genmaicha and Hojicha can be brewed with boiling water. For most other types of tea, you're best off waiting a few minutes after you remove the water from the heat to let the temperature drop. A thermometer can be very helpful here, although there are some kettles that allow you to set the temperature that you want the water to be.
What happens if the water temperature is too high? The tea can end up tasting kind of bitter no matter how quickly you remove the tea leaves from the water. Using the right temperature for the water helps extract more of the tea from the leaves without extracting too much at once.
Know Which Green Tea You're Using
In addition to knowing the right brewing temperature, you’ll also want to consider the brewing duration of the tea. Brewing time can range from 30 to 90 seconds, and you don't want to steep the leaves any longer than is necessary. Hojicha may need as little as 30 seconds, while Sencha brews closer to 60 seconds. Gyokuro is one varietal that needs 90 seconds to brew.
Do You Need to Know Tea Ceremony Procedures?
Should you learn any of the procedures you see at traditional tea ceremonies? While that might be interesting, it's not necessary to enjoy tea. However, you may want to invest in very good tea and teaware so that your tea-drinking experience is as nice as possible. If you like matcha, for example, getting a special porcelain tea bowl, a bamboo whisk, and a bamboo scoop can make that simple bowl of green tea look like you just bought it at a high-end restaurant.
rikumo offers Japanese-made table- and dishware in various colors and patterns. Whether you want a full matcha-making setup or just to find a nice teacup, you'll enjoy looking at our catalog online. If you're not sure what teaware you might need, our representatives can help you. We even carry a matcha chocolate bar and a few cookie selections for those times when you want a snack with your tea. The next time you think you want to brew some Japanese green tea, contact us so that we can assist you with your order.