| 1.Q
: |
I use a good
quality tea, but why does not it taste as good as it is supposed
to ? |
| A : |
There may be more than one reason,
but the most probable is that you do not use enough tea leaves.
The higher the quality of tea, the more leaves and less water
you should put into your pot. Does it sound a little too expensive
? It will prove to be the contrary in fact because you will
be able to enjoy a second and a third brew just as much. |
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| 2.Q
: |
I use a good
quality tea, but why isn't it green when I brew it ? |
| A : |
Generally, Sencha is colored
bright yellow with a tint of gold, while Fukamushi-cha is
green resulting from a longer steaming process. |
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| 3.Q
: |
What is bancha
exactly ? |
| A : |
Hoji-cha, Yanagi and Genmaicha
all come under this category. They have two things in common.
One is that the leaves are larger in size and the other is
that they are brewed in boiling water. |
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| 4.Q
: |
Are there any
SHOULD-NOTs in brewing green tea ? |
| A : |
Yes, here are four most important
rules you must keep.
1) Water should be boiled first and cooled afterward to an
appropriate temperature.
2) Do not add new leaves to the used ones in the pot. (The
flavor of the new leaves are absorbed by the used ones.)
3) Pour out all the water in the pot till not a single drop
more comes out of it.
4) Make a second brew immediately after the first. |
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| 5.Q
: |
Why isn't New
Uji tea put on the market before May 10 or so ? |
| A : |
The tea fields in Uji are located
in hilly regions where it is cooler than on flat land and
for this reason the tea picking season starts not earlier
than May 2. As the lyrics of a well known song go,
"on the eighty-eighth day from the first day of spring
when summer will soon be here ..."
exactly around May 2, Uji tea begins to be harvested. |
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| 6.Q
: |
Is it O.K. to
use the same pot for brewing Bancha as Sencha ? |
| A : |
It is definitely preferable
not to if you want to drink a good flavorful tea. There is
an appropriate type of tea pot for each one of three different
kinds of tea: Gyokuro, Sencha and Bancha.
In case of Sencha, use a flat type of pot with a big lid,
which will make it easier to put tea leaves into the pot. |
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| 7.Q
: |
Is it true that
the same tea leaves are used for making Chinese tea as Green
tea ? |
| A : |
Yes, it is. While green tea is made of leaves that are not
fermented at all, Oolong tea leaves are lightly fermented
and those of Black tea have undergone a through fermentation
process.
(Strictly speaking, the species of tea leaves differ from
one kind of tea to another.) |
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| 8.Q
: |
What to do with
the tea that is past
the expire date ? |
| A : |
Make it into Hoji-cha. Place a
sheet of traditional Japanese paper in your frying pan and
roast the old leaves in it while holding the pan at about
a few inches above a high flame. Be careful not to overroast
them. |
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| 9.Q
: |
How should we
keep our tea ? |
| A : |
Keep unopened packages in the
freezer. Do not open a package taken out of the freezer before
it has been warmed to the room temperature. Once opened, it
is best to use up the whole package in one week to ten days.
Buy small packages at frequent intervals. |
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| 10.Q
: |
Can we brew
Sencha and Gyokuro in cold water ? |
| A : |
Yes, you can. It has been known to be an ingenious way of
enjoying Green tea in summer since a long time ago. Put plenty
of tea leaves in the pot, pour some cold water and wait till
the tea leaves start to open up. It will take much longer
to brew than in hot water, but it is worth waiting. If you
have time and patience, put some leaves and water in a glass
container and keep it overnight in the refrigerator. |
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| 11.Q
: |
Are ready-to-drink
bottled teas made with the same tea leaves as we use at home
? |
| A : |
Yes. They are usually made with broken powder tea leaves
for the reason that it is easier and quicker to brew. |
