How to Brew Tasty Japanese Green Tea

January 21, 2017

Art of brewing Japanese Green Tea

Japanese green tea can be brewed in a number of ways. In this article, we will go over the Simple Way and the Advanced Way for brewing tasty green tea.

As you know, Japanese green tea can be categorized in two major types. Sencha and Matcha (See this article for the details about the differences), so we have segmented this article is in two parts.  Click on a link to jump to the specific part you want to read. Enjoy!

Part 1 - How to Brew Tasty Sencha

Sencha is steamed form of Japanese green tea which is usually consumed by steeping with teapot.

The Simple way is how most Japanese people consume green tea every day; the Advanced Way is what is being followed by professional green tea producers who recommends the best approach for brewing the most tasty Japanese green tea.

We recommend to start with the simple way, and enjoy the approach for the Advance Way after trying out simple ways to appreciate the difference in taste and aroma that it brings.

How to Brew Tasty Japanese Green Tea - The Simple Way

This approach does not require any special equipment such as tea pot. You can use any type of mesh strainer to filter the green tea.

1. Dissolve 1-2 teaspoon of powder into 8 Oz of hot water. We recommend about 175^°F for most common green tea.
   
   
2. Wait for 60-120 seconds  (Please follow steeping guide on the product for specific time based on type of tea.)
   
   
3. Use mesh strainer to filter out the green tea leave and serve hot

How to Brew Tasty Japanese Green Tea - The Advanced Way

How to Brew Cold Japanese Green Tea 

1. Dissolve 3-4 teaspoon of powder into 30 Oz of cold water.  For best result, use filtered water, bottled water. Alternatively, you can boil water and let it cool down until room temperature. 
   
   
2. Keep in refrigerator for 3 hours or more. Key point is to use longer time to disolve. This way, sweetness increases, and it does not break down theanine and vitamine C.  For best result, let it sit for overnight. 
   
   
3. Stair the water first, then use mesh strainer to filter out the green tea leave and serve cold.  

I have written an entire article about how to cold-brew Japanese green tea. You can read more here or click on the image below.  

Other Points to Consider (Sencha)

Enjoy the Second Infusion

In Japan, it is common practice to do 2nd infusion to get 2nd cup. You can use the same green tea after pouring the first cup, and infuse one more time. The first infusion is called "Issenme", the second infusion is called "Nissenme". In order to get tastier 2nd infusion follow below steps.

• After the infusion, open the top of the tea pot and let go the hotness inside the pot. If you don't do so, the tea leaves inside the pot get warmer and cause to reduce the taste in the 2^nd infusion.
  
  
• Follow above steps except that you want to wait for 10 seconds rather than 60 seconds after pouring hot water. Use higher temperature for the 2nd fusion.

Relationship between tea and temperature of water

When the temperature of water is high, green tea gets bitter and change the balance of the taste. So, it is important to boil water and cool it for some extent based on the bitterness you prefer.

When the temperature of water is higher than 175°F, the taste gets bitter and has more astringent.

When the temperature of water is below 140°F, the taste is less bitter.

See my other article "Everything you need to know about Water and Japanese Green Tea" for more detail about how to select water for your tea. 

Oxygen is the enemy to your tea - Store your tea properly

How you store your tea is very important to make the most out of your tea.  Here is an article explaining detail about the best way of storing tea. 

Part 2 How to Brew Tasty Matcha 

Unlike Sencha, Matcha is a powdered green tea that is grown and harvested in a more labor-intensive way to gain a unique quality of flavor, caffeine, and nutritional benefits.  (Click here to learn more) Matcha is used in all Japanese tea ceremonies.

In this section, I will first show you the traditional way of preparing matcha, then will introduce you to a varieties of ways to enjoy them.

Traditional Matcha Preparation - Koicha vs Usucha

There are two forms of matcha used in a Japanese tea ceremony. The first is usucha, which is a thin green tea matcha. Usucha is the common form of matcha used during a daily tea ceremony. Usucha is harvested from buds and leaves of the tea plant.

The second form is koicha, which is a thick green tea matcha. Koicha is typically used in more formal Japanese ceremonies. Koicha is typically hand harvested from the choicest buds of older tea plants.

Both forms of matcha have a unique flavor and tend to be full-bodied, with a luxurious and grassy essence. But keep in mind that koicha matcha never can be created from usucha matcha. We recommend that you first try matcha usucha until you become accustomed to the deeper flavor of koicha matcha.

Usucha matcha and koicha matcha are made using similar utensils, but each has a slightly different process, resulting in the exclusive texture and flavor. The following gives you a step by step instruction on how to make delicious Japanese matcha.

Usucha Matcha Steps (Traditional Way):

Usucha is harvested from buds and leaves of the tea plant.

Step 1.
Preheat your tea bowl by adding hot water. Place matcha bamboo whisk tips into water and let set (do not immerse the whisk completely – just the tips).

Step 2.
When your tea bowl is heated thoroughly, remove bamboo whisk and water from tea bowl. Dry tea bowl with linen cloth.

Step 3.
Measure approximately 1/3 cup boiling water (70 ml or 2.3 oz) into a separate bowl and allow to cool to approximately 160°F (71°C) to 185°F (85°C) – here you can use a thermometer to cool the water to your preference.

Step 4.
Measure approximately 1 ½ to 2 scoops (approximately 1 ½ to 2 tsp or 2 grams) of matcha powder with bamboo scoop or ladle, placing into matcha powder sifter. Sift powder into tea bowl, gently shaking and spinning powder with ladle to remove any powder clumps.

Step 5.
Once water has cooled to the correct temperature, pour slowly into tea bowl.

Step 6.
Hold tea bowl in one hand and take whisk in the other hand. Whisk matcha and water rapidly and in an “M” and “W” pattern motion (left to right and up to down) until liquid has a thick foam on top with lots of tiny bubbles at the surface.

Step 7.
Pour matcha tea into a tea bowl or tea cup.

Step 8.
Enjoy tasty Japanese matcha - usucha.

Koicha Matcha Steps (Traditional Way):

Koicha is typically hand harvested from the choicest buds of older tea plants

Step 1.
Preheat your tea bowl by adding hot water. Place matcha bamboo whisk tips into water and let set (do not immerse the whisk completely – just the tips).

Step 2.
When tea bowl is heated thoroughly, remove bamboo whisk and water from tea bowl. Dry tea bowl with linen cloth.

Step 3.
Measure approximately 1/4 cup boiling water (40 ml or 1.3 oz) into a separate bowl and allow to cool to approximately 160°F (71°C) to 185°F (85°C) – here you can use a thermometer to cool the water to your preference.

Step 4.
Measure approximately 3 to 4 scoops (3 to 4 tsp or 4 to 5 grams) of matcha powder with bamboo scoop or ladle, placing into matcha powder sifter. Sift powder into tea bowl, gently shaking and spinning powder with ladle to remove any powder clumps.

Step 5.
Once water has cooled to the correct temperature, pour ½ of water slowly into tea bowl (this is important to avoid clumping).

Step 6.
Hold tea bowl in one hand and take whisk in the other hand. Whisk matcha and water slowly and in a kneading and circular pattern, until liquid has become a thick and smooth consistency.

Step 7.
Add remaining hot water and whisk slowly until smooth. There should be no foam on top.

Step 8.
Pour matcha tea into a tea bowl or tea cup.

Step 9.
Enjoy tasty Japanese matcha – koicha.

Quick Cheat Sheet for Matcha Measurements

Here are cheat sheets summarizing the differences between koicha and usucha

Usucha:

• 1/3 cup boiling water (70 ml or 2.3 oz)
• 160°F (71°C) to 185°F (85°C)
• 1 ½ to 2 scoops (approximately 1 ½ to 2 tsp or 2 grams)

Koicha:

• 1/4 cup boiling water (40 ml or 1.3 oz)
• 160°F (71°C) to 185°F (85°C)
• 3 to 4 scoops (3 to 4 tsp or 4 to 5 grams)

Other Points to Consider (Matcha)

• Drink the matcha tea immediately after it is prepared, as the matcha powder can settle to the bottom of the tea bowl.
• Make sure to allow your water to cool after boiling, or matcha will be bitter.
• Make sure to whisk the matcha tea completely, or matcha will be bitter.
• Make sure to whisk usucha matcha until a thick foam with tiny bubbles appears so the flavor is not bitter.
• Make sure to whisk koicha matcha so it is smooth with no foam or froth when complete.
• Make sure your matcha powder is sifted into the tea bowl to aver clumps
• If your usucha matcha does not froth, check to make sure you have used sufficient matcha powder or too much water
• If your usucha matcha does not froth check to make sure you have whisked enough
• Store unused matcha powder in a dark and cool place, and use opened matcha as quickly as possible to maintain freshness
• Usucha bamboo whisks typically have 50 to 125 thin prongs
• Koicha bamboo whisks typically have 32 to 48 thick prongs
• Matcha contains a higher level of caffeine than other teas. Unlike coffee, however, matcha is absorbed slowly by the body and gives a slower, more consistent level of energy (6 to 8 hours). Additionally, matcha does not typically produce the negative effects, such as the “jitters”, associated with caffeine.

How to Enjoy Matcha - Non-Traditional Way

Now that we have covered the traditional ways, here’s where it gets more interesting.  Matcha can be used in variety of ways and we have many articles exploring different ways of using matcha in non-traditional ways.  Here are some popular ones. 

Matcha isn’t just delicious to drink. Healthful Japanese matcha is an incredible addition to make unique matcha recipes from your simple regular recipes. Now that you know how to create tasty Japanese matcha, try more delicious matcha recipes that include the healthy benefits and unique flavor of tasty Japanese green tea matcha.

For more delicious ways to try tasty Japanese matcha in cooking, take a look at my book, Cook With Matcha & Green Tea.

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