How to Enjoy Japanese Green Tea
Tea is the world’s second most consumed beverage after water. It is even more popular than coffee. Majority of people love to have a cup of Japanese green tea as they find it tasty and relaxing. It has a number of health advantages and is a good alternative to coffee. Japanese green tea is usually taken after a meal and has low amounts of caffeine. Making the perfect cup of Japanese green tea is hard and if you fail to handle it properly you can make the taste bitter and ruin the flavour. Patience and care must be taken if you want to enjoy Japanese green tea.
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 2 – 3 min
Total time: 7 – 8 min
Yield: 3 – 4 persons
Utensils: Cup, Ceramic filter cup
Ingredients:
Water: 1 cup
Green tea: 3 gm
Sugar: optional
Instructions
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1
Getting started
Remember that if you have guests over or are spending some family time, green tea is a must. You can also have it served during business meetings or social gatherings. Making Japanese green tea is a bit tricky. Start by putting 3 grams (around one teaspoon) of green tea into a cup or inside the ceramic filter of the cup, provided that it is there. Avoid using boiling water for green tea, shincha, sencha and other varieties. It is best to boil the water and then let it be for 2 to 3 minutes. The water temperature needs to be about 60-80 C. Gently add water over the tea leaves into the cup. You can put more water for other teas. -
2
Allow tea to properly mix
Place a cover on top of the ceramic cup and allow it to sit for one to three minutes. The tea will be less steep if it is new. Then open the lid on the cup and remove the filter. Sencha and shincha are steeped with a filter. You can judge the aroma by smelling the green tea. You will also see the bright green colour of the tea. -
3
Enjoy the tea
Sit back and slowly sip the tea. Allow it to go down your tongue and relish the subtle scent of this delightful tea. If you are having green tea with leaves in the cup, wait until there is one third of the tea left. Then put some more hot water. Do the same thing three to four times. Know that if you have the filter, tea leaves can be filled repeatedly.
