JAPANESE GREEN TEA
How to prepare delicious green tea
Would you like a cup of Japanese green tea ?
Japanese green tea goes well with healthy Japanese food and the Asian lifestyle, but not only. Hot or cold, green tea is increasingly enjoyed in some of the best Western restaurants around the world. Here are a few easy tips for preparing Japanese tea and making it part of your life. Enjoy each day with a relaxing green tea break.
HOW TO BOIL WATER
A key to a perfect cup of green tea
Hot water is the key to preparing delicious green tea. The water needs to be boiled for three to five minutes. Especially when you use tap water.
The reason is that boiling it well will get rid of the smell of chlorine. It is also recommended to leave the water in a pot for four to five hours before use.
It is important to let the hot water cool to a temperature suitable for the preparation of green tea. You should never use non-boiled, lukewarm water, nor add cold water to cool it down.
BASIC PRINCIPLES
Understanding Umami
Umami is important for Japanese green tea, and so it needs to be fully extracted. Amino acids, which are the components of the umami taste of green tea, are released regardless of the temperature of the hot water. On the other hand, tannin and caffeine, which are the components of the astringency and bitterness of green tea, are released increasingly as the water gets hotter (over 80°C).
Because of the features of these components, you should use lower water temperatures for green tea. and never boiling water. The key is to extract amino acids for umami as much as possible and not to extract the components of astringency and bitterness.
HOW TO PREPARE SENCHA
A key to the perfect green tea
1. Measure the leaves
- About one heaped teaspoon of tea leaves (about 2g) per person
- If it is for one person, it is better to use two heaped tablespoons (about 5g) of tea leaves to ensure a pronounced flavor.
- Put the tea leaves into the Kyusu (teapot)
2. PREPARE HOT WATER
- Pour boiling water into the cups for the number of people you are serving.
- This will help you measuring the right amount of water, but also cool down the hot water to a proper temperature.
3. POUR HOT WATER INTO THE TEAPOT
- Pour slowly the hot water from the cups into the teapot.
- Put the lid on the teapot
4.wait and start serving
- After pouring the hot water into the teapot and closing the lid, wait between one minute and one minute and a half.
- Start serving using the “Mawashitsugi” technique (see point 5).
5. POUR TEA INTO EACH CUP
- Pour a little amount of tea into each cup several times to make the tea flavor equal.
- Pour the tea into the cups in the following order : 1-2-3 first, the pour 3-2-1 next. Repeat it until the last drop of tea has been poured.
- This routine is called “Mawashitsugi”, and is a tip for preparing perfect Japanese green tea.
PRESERVATION METHODS
How to keep your tea fresh
Green tea is so sensitive that it is influenced by the air, humidity, temperature and lights. It tends to absorb the odor of other foods. When preserving Japanese green tea, put it in a closed container and keep it in a cool dry space.
It is best to keep tea in a refrigerator, but it will be influenced by temperature change when the door of the refrigerator is opened. So you will need to keep it where there is less temperature changes. When it is taken out from the refrigerator, do not open the container right away. Open it after it reaches room temperature, since the temperature change makes the surface of the container sweat.
Try not to expose tea to air, pack it in small quantities, enough for 10 days, and store it in separate containers. To store tea for a long time in the refrigerator, seal the container with plastic tape and put it in a plastic bag to prevent it absorbing the odor of other foods.