[How to brew tea]
Free tea! It's fun because it has completely different expressions depending on how you brew it.
The basic brewing methods that norm thinks you should know.
The first thing you need to be careful about is water . Most of the water that comes out of taps in Japan is soft water, so if you pass it through a water purifier or purification pot, you won't make a big mistake. If the scent smells like chlorine or iron, it's better to use purchased water. "Soft water" instead of hard water. I like water that flows into my body without any discomfort when I drink it. Suntory's natural water works well in plastic bottles. After all, the reality of tea is mostly water. Bad water can ruin even the best tea leaves. Next is " tea utensils ". I think it's best to brew the tea you want with whatever you want to brew, but of course there are pros and cons. See the next section for information on what kind of tea utensils are available. It is best to warm up the tea utensils until they are piping hot before adding tea leaves. Otherwise, the temperature of the water will drop dramatically after pouring it in, resulting in a dull taste and a lack of enjoyment in its aroma. Plus, when I put tea leaves into a warmed teapot and smell the aroma, I feel so happy. I love that moment almost as much as drinking tea. Once you find good water and tea utensils that you like, take a look at the ` `tea leaves .'' Do the tea leaves seem weak or strong, soft or hard? To put it into words, Sencha, Gyokuro, and tea with lots of buds are delicate, so if the temperature of the water is too low, you will get burned. If the tea leaves are large and firm like kamairicha, oolong tea, or black tea, or wild-looking tea leaves like bancha or hojicha, they will become dull and unable to show their true potential if the water temperature is low. There are exceptions. When choosing tea at a tea shop, it's a good idea to ask about the following three points: ``recommended brewing temperature - the softness of the tea leaves'', ``do you want it to be brewed quickly or thoroughly,'' and ``do you want the tea to be roasted?''
【How to brew any tea】
Tea is totally up to you! Depending on how you brew your leaves, you can experience a totally different tea, that's what makes brewing your tea yourself so fun. To get started, here are norm's fundamentals to tea brewing.
First — pay attention to water . Water from most Japanese household taps is known as soft water – this differs depending on the country so do your research! When you're brewing tea, it is advised to use soft water, not hard water. However , if your water smells of calcium carbonate, or has a metallic taste, it is advisable to use bottled or filtered water. As a point of reference, you can think of the ideal water for brewing as water that is highly drinkable (quite literally, easy to drink). When you think about it, tea is almost completely made up of water, so if the water is subpar then it wouldn't matter no matter how special the tea leaves.
Next up — teaware . While we'd usually say brew whatever you like in wherever you want, of course there are exceptions. Begin by asking yourself: what do I have that I can use? (For more on teaware, see the next page ) of what you have, a good principle to follow is preheating your teaware prior to adding your tea leaves. You can think of warming up your teapot like preheating an oven — pour hot water into the clean teapot or cup and allow it to sit and warm up before emptying again. This prevents a drastic drop in the temperature for when you begin brewing, and also allows you to enjoy a long, clear aroma. After preheating, before adding hot water to brew, place your tea leaves inside the empty vessel and enjoy the scent that arises with the residual heat. You may find equal satisfaction in this moment, as much as in the actual drinking of the tea.
Once you have good water and good teaware, then it's about finding proper tea leaves . Take a look for yourself. Do your tea leaves look delicate or strong? Do they look soft or hard? Is it sencha or gyokuro ?
A tea that uses many young sprouts is more delicate, so boiling hot water can easily scald it. On the other hand, teas with larger leaves like kamairi-cha or oolong or black teas, or more wild teas like bancha or houji-cha , may need higher temperatures to avoid a flat taste… When you are choosing tea in any tea shop, it is recommended to ask about these three things: 1) What is the recommended brewing time? Or rather, what is the softness of the leaves? 2) Should I brew this tea strong, or for a shorter period of time? 3) How many times can I steep these leaves?
So we've covered your essentials — your water, your cups, and your tea leaves! It's now time to try brewing your own tea. On the following pages we introduce two 'recipes' that we suggest you follow when starting out. In these pages you'll also learn more about teaware.
Basic brewing method that won't make a big mistake
What to prepare
vessel for brewing tea
tea drinking vessel
3.5g of your favorite tea leaves
160ml hot water
-
Warm the utensils, as well as how to best brew your leaves in them.
2. Add tea leaves and hot water to the tea pot and wait for 1 to 2 minutes. - Transfer the extracted tea juice to a tea drinking vessel
- Enjoy it deliciously
As mentioned earlier, the temperature of the water will vary depending on the tea leaves, but most teas will be delicious if brewed this way. For example, when you wake up in the morning, prepare breakfast in the kitchen, or take a phone call in between work, the only thing you worry about is forgetting to turn on the hot water, so you can set a timer so you don't have to worry! If you can get along with the tools you have and the tea leaves, such as filling this amount of hot water with this tea utensil and placing this amount of tea leaves with this saji, there is no need to measure the amount of hot water or tea leaves. Using a scale or timer is a little boring, but norm recommends measuring and brewing at first because it's easier to figure out how to brew to your liking. It would be even better if the scale could measure down to 0.0g, and you can find it surprisingly cheap on the internet.
A fail-safe method to brew tea
What you need:
Brewing vessel of choice
Drinking vessel of choice
Tea leaves 3.5g
Hot water 160ml
- Preheat your teaware
- Put the tea leaves and hot water into the brewing vessel of your choice, steep for one to two minutes
- Pour out the brewed tea into a separate drinking vessel
- Enjoy
In principle, you should always adjust the brewing water temperature to the tea leaves you are brewing, but as long as you follow these numbers as a general guideline, you're almost guaranteed a nice cup of tea. This recipe is perfect for mornings when you are busy preparing breakfast on the side, or when you're dodging in and out of work calls and just want to brew something fast and simple. Just don't forget about it after pouring in the hot water and you'll be fine (set a timer if you are forgetful!). Use this formula as a base, and then adapt the quantities to what you have at hand; the amount of water to the size of your cup; the amount of tea leaves to the size of your teaspoon. Finally, don't forget our hands are our best tools — once you get a feel for your tea leaves you won't ever need to rely on a scale* to brew a good cup of tea. That being said, there is no in using a scale or timer – we do recommend starting with one shame, then working out what your own preferences are.
*A scale that measures down to a tenth of a gram is ideal, and can even be found inexpensively online.