Some special hints for bringing out the best of Japanese Green Tea:
Brewing green tea is slightly different than other teas. There are only a few simple things to keep in mind to make a great cup of tea... Water temperature and brewing time depend on the type of tea you choose. And try to use loose leaf tea rather than tea bags. The selection of teas and quality of tea is generally far superior to tea bags. Brewing loose leaf tea is quite simple if you have the right teapot (with a strainer built in). We'll describe the starting points. Eventually you may find you like your tea a bit weaker or stronger. Experiment with the amount of tea and brewing time to find your own favorite brewing hints.
Preparation to serve 2 people:
1-2 heaping teaspoon of tea leaves and 8-10 oz of water
5 ounces is the size of the small tea cup favored for Japanese tea. You might want to double things if you're using an American style mug.
Boil the water and let it cool for a couple of minutes.
Pour the hot water into your empty teacups, and wait until the water temperature drops down slightly more.
We recommend 160 F for sencha, 120 F for gyokuro.
Boiling water removes the chlorinated smell of some tap water. But if you brew the tea leaves with boiling water, it creates a bitter taste. So letting the water cool slightly allows the tea's natural sweetness to come through. Letting it cool in the cups (while not required) lets your teacups be pre-warmed.
Put the loose leaf tea into the mesh-cup of the teapot. (If the teapot doesn't have mesh, you can put the tea leaves into teapot directly.)
Once the boiled water has dropped to the correct temperature in the teacups, pour it back into the teapot.
Brew about 1 minute for sencha, 2 minutes for gyokuro. When tea leaves have just begun to open up, the tea is ready to be served.
Generally, when using fine green tea leaves, let the water temperature cool a bit longer than regular. And then let it brew a bit longer, as well. Though both things seem quite minor, it can actually make a big difference in the taste. The longer brewing time of the higher quality tea, will bring out its more mellow, sweet taste.
Pour the tea into cups, alternating between cups to make both the same strength.
Enjoy!