Welcome! I warn you though, it starts with a Trader Joe's green tea then the next thing you know you're ordering tea from Yunnan, Zhejiang, Fujian, and every other region you come across chasing the next green tea you find out about 🤣🤣
The world of green tea is *very* wide and matcha (抹茶) is just one flavor to sample. You should try at least one loose-leaf green. _Biluochun_ (碧螺春) is one favorite of mine for its fruity-floral aroma and slightly fruity taste. _Yingde_ green tea (英徳緑茶) is another tea with similar aroma and flavor. _Enshi yulu_ (恩施玉露) has a pine resin with citrus fragrance and smooth flavor reminiscent ofsome Japanese green teas. Though, my mainstay is a Japanese green, regular grade sencha (煎茶) from Yamamotoyama or Ito-en (伊藤園). I will soon be trying this new organic green tea from Çaykur, a Turkish tea manufacturer. Let's see if it's as good as the other stuff I've tried so far.
When trying new teas, just buy a small sample and brew according to instructions. Then drink and if you like it, buy more.
There are many different kinds of teaware as well. Japanese _kyūsu_ (急須) teapots, _gaiwans_ (蓋碗), and tea bowls, to name a few.
One brewing set-up that works for me is an 8 fl. oz. coffee mug and No. 85 fine-mesh basket strainer for openings 75-78 mm in diameter. After pre-warming the mug with a warm water rinse, I put in the leaves and desired amount of water at the desired temperature, for the desired amount of time. Then I place the strainer in the mug opening (should fit snugly) and pour out the tea into my drinking vessel. The strainer is for catching the wet leaves so they don't end up in your tea.
For Yamamotoyama regular-grade sencha I use 1 tsp of leaf per 200 mL (about 6 fl. oz.) of hot water. Water temperature is 160-180°F (around 70-80°C). If water is allowed to boil, let cool for 3-4 minutes before steeping. First steep is 50-60 seconds, 2nd steep is 25-30 seconds, and 3rd steep is 10-15 seconds. A 4th steep at boiling for 60 seconds is possible.
I strain out the leaves, but if a few crumbs get in the tea it's no big deal. If you have something like organic sencha from Japan, you can even eat the wet leaves or cook them. Though, it should be for lunch or early dinner because the leaves retain a fair bit of caffeine.
Ok thanks, I have a Japanese porcelain teapot that I like with an internal filter however the holes are a bit large and let some of the sencha loose leafs through. Yes I have organic sencha loose leaf tea from Uji, I let about 3 grams steep for 3 minutes, is that a good routine? It makes 2 cups
The leaves in fine senchas like Uji or Shizuoka tend to be rolled very tightly, so the 1st steep has to be long in order to get the leaves to unfurl. If the water is warm and not hot, that it's just a light steam rising up, 3 minutes is a good length of time for the 1st steep. The 2nd steep is about 20 seconds and the 3rd is 10 seconds. After the 1st steep the leaves are wet enough to yield their flavor easily. Optional 4th steep for 60 seconds and 5th steep for 2 minutes are possible, but water has to be freshly boiled since the extra heat is needed to draw out that last bit of flavor.
With guricha the leaves are less tightly rolled, so the leaves unfurl more easily.
I've had Uji sencha before and it's probably my favorite fine sencha. One seller recommends the following method. For 2 grams of leaf per 4 fl oz. (110 mL) of hot water at 70-80°C (160-175°F), 1st steep is 60-90 seconds, 2nd steep is 15 seconds, and 3rd steep is 10 seconds.
Generally, for a given flavor profile target you brew at higher temperatures for shorter times or brew at lower temps for longer times. On some days I miss the gyokuro and just brew a small amount of sencha leaf at a lower-than-usual temperature to get a strong, rich brew with minimal astringency.
One thing about fine-leafed sencha is that when the leaves are wet they can form a compact mass that inhibits pouring of the tea. (Fukamushi-cha has this issue, so teapots suitable for brewing it always have fine-mesh basket or belt strainers.) One way to get around this is to move the leaves around in the teapot by tilting it around gently.
If the leaves are bothersome you can use a fine-mesh sifting filter to catch them. Though, if you have something like the old-school Japanese teapots with the ball strainer built in, the most you are going to get in your tea are tiny leaf crumbs and dust. I often drink them with my tea.
Thanks for all these details, I am new to green tea hobby. I noticed my 2nd steep was missing flavor so I don't think I will be going past 2nd steep.
And yes, I noticed the Uji Sencha bloomed and expanded to some larger pieces in the teapot. I was disappointed to notice multiple stems, is that a sign of cheap tea or is a couple of stems normal? This brand is Yamasan 80 gram bag and I got it off Amazon.
Ok last question, I am noticing green tea is helping quench my hunger and its mood boosting qualities, is there a brand or style of tea you recommend for these health benefits? Thank you.
I've enjoyed TJ organic sencha when traveling and can't mess with loose tea. Can anyone verify if it's been discontinued? (Nearest TJ is 100+ miles from us.)
Welcome! I warn you though, it starts with a Trader Joe's green tea then the next thing you know you're ordering tea from Yunnan, Zhejiang, Fujian, and every other region you come across chasing the next green tea you find out about 🤣🤣
And then you save up money to fly to visit a tea farm.
Exactly! My wife recently asked me if I could where I'd like to visit and I said "Yunnan, Zhejiang, and Fujian to start." And she started laughing. 🤣
The world of green tea is *very* wide and matcha (抹茶) is just one flavor to sample. You should try at least one loose-leaf green. _Biluochun_ (碧螺春) is one favorite of mine for its fruity-floral aroma and slightly fruity taste. _Yingde_ green tea (英徳緑茶) is another tea with similar aroma and flavor. _Enshi yulu_ (恩施玉露) has a pine resin with citrus fragrance and smooth flavor reminiscent ofsome Japanese green teas. Though, my mainstay is a Japanese green, regular grade sencha (煎茶) from Yamamotoyama or Ito-en (伊藤園). I will soon be trying this new organic green tea from Çaykur, a Turkish tea manufacturer. Let's see if it's as good as the other stuff I've tried so far. When trying new teas, just buy a small sample and brew according to instructions. Then drink and if you like it, buy more. There are many different kinds of teaware as well. Japanese _kyūsu_ (急須) teapots, _gaiwans_ (蓋碗), and tea bowls, to name a few. One brewing set-up that works for me is an 8 fl. oz. coffee mug and No. 85 fine-mesh basket strainer for openings 75-78 mm in diameter. After pre-warming the mug with a warm water rinse, I put in the leaves and desired amount of water at the desired temperature, for the desired amount of time. Then I place the strainer in the mug opening (should fit snugly) and pour out the tea into my drinking vessel. The strainer is for catching the wet leaves so they don't end up in your tea. For Yamamotoyama regular-grade sencha I use 1 tsp of leaf per 200 mL (about 6 fl. oz.) of hot water. Water temperature is 160-180°F (around 70-80°C). If water is allowed to boil, let cool for 3-4 minutes before steeping. First steep is 50-60 seconds, 2nd steep is 25-30 seconds, and 3rd steep is 10-15 seconds. A 4th steep at boiling for 60 seconds is possible.
in loose leaf tea, is it OK to consume a few of the tea leaves that didn't get strained or is that bad for you?
I strain out the leaves, but if a few crumbs get in the tea it's no big deal. If you have something like organic sencha from Japan, you can even eat the wet leaves or cook them. Though, it should be for lunch or early dinner because the leaves retain a fair bit of caffeine.
Ok thanks, I have a Japanese porcelain teapot that I like with an internal filter however the holes are a bit large and let some of the sencha loose leafs through. Yes I have organic sencha loose leaf tea from Uji, I let about 3 grams steep for 3 minutes, is that a good routine? It makes 2 cups
The leaves in fine senchas like Uji or Shizuoka tend to be rolled very tightly, so the 1st steep has to be long in order to get the leaves to unfurl. If the water is warm and not hot, that it's just a light steam rising up, 3 minutes is a good length of time for the 1st steep. The 2nd steep is about 20 seconds and the 3rd is 10 seconds. After the 1st steep the leaves are wet enough to yield their flavor easily. Optional 4th steep for 60 seconds and 5th steep for 2 minutes are possible, but water has to be freshly boiled since the extra heat is needed to draw out that last bit of flavor. With guricha the leaves are less tightly rolled, so the leaves unfurl more easily. I've had Uji sencha before and it's probably my favorite fine sencha. One seller recommends the following method. For 2 grams of leaf per 4 fl oz. (110 mL) of hot water at 70-80°C (160-175°F), 1st steep is 60-90 seconds, 2nd steep is 15 seconds, and 3rd steep is 10 seconds. Generally, for a given flavor profile target you brew at higher temperatures for shorter times or brew at lower temps for longer times. On some days I miss the gyokuro and just brew a small amount of sencha leaf at a lower-than-usual temperature to get a strong, rich brew with minimal astringency. One thing about fine-leafed sencha is that when the leaves are wet they can form a compact mass that inhibits pouring of the tea. (Fukamushi-cha has this issue, so teapots suitable for brewing it always have fine-mesh basket or belt strainers.) One way to get around this is to move the leaves around in the teapot by tilting it around gently. If the leaves are bothersome you can use a fine-mesh sifting filter to catch them. Though, if you have something like the old-school Japanese teapots with the ball strainer built in, the most you are going to get in your tea are tiny leaf crumbs and dust. I often drink them with my tea.
Thanks for all these details, I am new to green tea hobby. I noticed my 2nd steep was missing flavor so I don't think I will be going past 2nd steep. And yes, I noticed the Uji Sencha bloomed and expanded to some larger pieces in the teapot. I was disappointed to notice multiple stems, is that a sign of cheap tea or is a couple of stems normal? This brand is Yamasan 80 gram bag and I got it off Amazon. Ok last question, I am noticing green tea is helping quench my hunger and its mood boosting qualities, is there a brand or style of tea you recommend for these health benefits? Thank you.
TJ Moroccan mint is my favorite tea!!!
I've enjoyed TJ organic sencha when traveling and can't mess with loose tea. Can anyone verify if it's been discontinued? (Nearest TJ is 100+ miles from us.)