Green tea is more than just a hot green drink. Every cup of green tea contains antioxidants, and can prevent heart problems, improve brain function, and reduce the chances of developing certain types of cancer. However, it is important to serve green tea properly to get all the benefits of this healthy green liquid.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Drinking Green Tea
Step 1. Hold the cup with your dominant hand while supporting it from below with the other hand
The cup or " yunomi " in Japanese, must be supported with both hands. Wearing both hands is a polite etiquette in Japanese culture.
Step 2. Drink the tea without sipping it or making a sound
Do not blow the tea to cool it down. Instead, let sit on the counter to cool.
Step 3. Enjoy the tea, according to your preference and taste
Above all, the tea should taste good and suit you, whether it's a little bitter or bland, or even a little sweeter. It is important to drink tea that suits your taste buds.
Part 2 of 3: Drinking Green Tea With Food
Step 1. Pair green tea with a light snack that doesn't overwhelm the flavor of the tea
Your light snacks can be plain cookies, regular pound cakes, or small rice crackers.
Step 2. Choose a sweet instead of a salty snack to pair with green tea
Green tea goes well with sweets because it is more bitter than the food, and will moderate the sweetness of the snack.
Step 3. Try serving green tea with moci cake
Moci are Japanese sticky rice cakes that are usually round and colored in various colors.
Moci are available in both savory and sweet versions. The sweet version of moci cake is called Daifuku, which are sticky rice balls filled with sweet ingredients such as red bean or white bean paste
Part 3 of 3: Brewing and Serving Green Tea
Step 1. Brew green tea properly
Bring the water to a simmer, then turn off the heat and wait for 30-60 seconds to cool slightly before using.
The temperature and quality of the water used to brew the tea is very important in making a delicious cup of tea
Step 2. Rinse the teapot, preferably ceramic, with hot water
This step is called warming the teapot, and it ensures that the tea is not cooled by the teapot itself.
Step 3. Put the tea leaves in the warmed teapot
If possible, use tea leaves for better quality, instead of tea bags.
The standard guide is 1 tsp. (3 grams) of tea per 30 ml cup of water. So if you're serving yourself tea, just use a teaspoon. Adjust the amount based on the number of people who will be drinking the tea
Step 4. Pour boiling water over the tea leaves and let them soak
The soaking time depends on the type of green tea used. Usually, you can soak green tea for 1-3 minutes.
- After the tea is soaked enough, strain the tea leaves.
- Green tea that is steeped for too long will taste bitter and have an unbalanced taste. So, try to soak the tea leaves to taste.
- If the tea feels very light, use more tea or soak the leaves for a bit longer.
Step 5. Take out the ceramic cup set
Traditionally, Japanese tea is always served in small ceramic cups that are white inside so you can see the color of the tea. You should use a ceramic cup because the teapot and cup will affect the taste of the tea.
- At a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, it is customary to prepare a teapot, cooler container, cup, tea placemat and cloth on a tray.
- The size of the cup is also important because the smaller the cup, the higher the quality of the tea produced.
Step 6. Pour the tea into the cup until full
The flavor of the tea in the initial pour is weaker than the last pour so make sure the flavor is evenly distributed among each cup by filling each cup first. Then, go back and pour the second in each cup, and finally fill until the cups are full. This technique is called "cycle pouring".
Never pour someone's cup of tea to the brim as it is considered rude. Ideally, pour until 70% full
Step 7. It's best not to add sugar, milk, or other additives
Green tea has a strong flavor and when brewed properly, it is quite delicious.
If you've always drank sweetened or flavored teas, you might be surprised at the taste of "raw" green tea at first, but try a few more cups before deciding
Step 8. Reuse the tea leaves
You can brew up to three times using the same tea leaves. The trick, pour hot water on the leaves in a teapot and soak at the same time.
