How to prepare green tea and Matcha
To get the best out of a tea, its fine color, wonderful aroma and noble taste, there are several factors to take into account.
Higher quality teas are of course preferable, but whatever the tea may be, it should be fresh. For the prevention of fermentation and preserve the freshness of the tea, it should be stored in a dark, dry and cold place. Matcha should be stored in a completely airtight container in a refrigerator.
In addition to the quality and freshness of the tea itself, the water is the most significant factor. One should use only the purest and softest water of the best quality for the preparation of tea.
Whatever the water may be, it should be boiled for about five minutes in an open cauldron. When the water has boiled sufficiently, the temperature can be adjusted by adding cold water or by pouring the hot water into a suitable pot or jud in which it can cool slightly. The right temperature for the water depends on what kind of tea will be prepared.
What is green tea and matcha?
Green tea can be divided into two main groups. Leaf teas, such as gyokuro, sencha, kabusecha, kawayanagi, hojicha and genmaicha, from which an extract must be made, and powder tea, matcha, which must be mixed together with hot water and consumed completely.
In order to enjoy the fine color in the extract of green teas, it is recommended to use white porcelain cups. The most suitable size of the cups depends on what kind of tea will be prepared. Before pouring the tea into the cups, these should be preheated with warm water to a mean temperature while the tea draws.
Which teapot is best for green tea?
The teapot used for the brewing of leaf teas should be ceramic and completely clean. However, glass can also be used. It is recommended to use a special pot exclusively for green tea. Small Chinese clay teapots without glaze, so-called I-Hsing pots, are very suitable, although small porcelain pots and glazed ceramic pots also work well. The teapot should never ever be washed with a dishwashing detergent, but simply rinsed with soft water and set to dry.
The teapot should be preheated with warm water before the actual brewing of the tea. When the tea is poured, care should be taken to ensure that it is evenly distributed in the cups by pouring in a little at a time for several rounds to get the same concentration in all cups. Also, be sure to get the last drop out in each brew to prevent the tea from becoming bitter before the next extract.
In the following, appropriate amounts of tea and water, temperatures and draw times for the different teas are indicated. This should of course be taken as a general guideline, and can be adjusted to your liking.
How to make green tea?
Gyokuro
Gyokuro tea is best served in small white cups (about 30ml). For three servings, 1.5 tablespoons (8g) of tea and 100ml of water with a temperature of 40° – 60°C are used. The tea should soak for between one and a half and three minutes in the first extraction. For another extract, water with a higher temperature than for the first should be used, and the tea should only soak for a few seconds before pouring it into the cups. The first extract will give a full-bodied tea, while the second and following extracts will be milder.
Sencha and kabusecha
Sencha and kabusecha are best served in small white cups. For three servings, 1.5 tablespoons (8g) of tea and 200ml of water with a temperature of 80° – 90°C are used. The tea should drag for between a half and a full minute in the first extraction. For another extract, water with a higher temperature than for the first should be used, and the tea should only soak for a few seconds before pouring it into the cups.
Kawayanagi, hojicha and genmaicha
These teas are served in larger cups. For three servings, 3 – 4 tablespoons (10g) of tea and 300ml of water with a temperature of 90°C are used. The tea can be immediately poured into the cups and should not infuse for more than 15 seconds. One more extract can be made.
How to make matcha tea?
The preparation of powder tea, matcha, differs significantly from the method used for leaf teas, and generally requires some experience to get the best out of the tea. Moreover, quite a few special tools are usually used, two of which are indispensable. These are the tea bowl and the bamboo whisk.
Matcha tea is prepared in and served in so-called chawan, tea bowls, which are made specifically for the purpose. However, you can use any other glazed ceramic bowl of suitable size and shape.
Matcha should either be stirred together using a bamboo whisk, the chasen, into a thin cream (koicha, thick tea) with the consistency of cream, or whipped into a much thinner foam (usucha, thin tea), which should be light and creamy to provide the full aroma and flavor.
All matcha can be prepared as usucha, but the tea used for koicha is usually of a higher quality than that used for usucha. To avoid the tea lumps, all matcha should be sifted through a fine-mesh strainer before use. Matcha is usually prepared at a lower temperature in summer than in winter.
Use for a serving of 1 teaspoon (1.5g) of tea and 70ml of water at a temperature of 70-85°C. First, preheat the bowl with warm water and wipe it clean. Then place the tea on the bottom of the bowl and pour on the hot water. Hold the bowl with one hand and the whisk between the fingers of the other. Right-handers hold the whisk in their right hand. Start by stirring slowly and bring everything in from the sides. then increase the speed and whisk the tea vigorously back and forth. When the tea has been sufficiently whisked and has turned into a fine creamy foam, gradually whipping more slowly, and the whisk is then moved only in the surface to remove larger bubbles and form a smooth surface. Finally, turn the whisk slowly around the bowl once and carefully lift it from the center to form a slight elevation, after which the tea is immediately served.
Koicha (thick tea)
While usucha is always made for a single person at a time, koicha is usually cooked for more than one person, but in a single dish, which is shared. Use 2 teaspoons (3g) of tea and around 20ml of water at a temperature of 70-85°C per person. The water is supplied in two turns. Keep in mind that some of the tea will remain in the bowl. It is therefore recommended to increase the amounts slightly if tea is made for only one or two people. Remaining matcha in the bowl is often whipped as usucha.
First, preheat the bowl with warm water and wipe it clean. Then place the tea on the bottom of the bowl and pour on the first amount of hot water. Hold the bowl with one hand and the whisk between the fingers of the other. Begin by stirring slowly, pushing the tea from the sides towards the center of the bowl. Proceed carefully to stir the tea into a cream by moving the whisk in different ways as necessary without actually whipping the tea.
Once you have an even consistency, put the shaft of the whisk on the edge of the bowl on the opposite side of the one being whipped off. Then lift the whisk with the other hand to judge the consistency and add an appropriate amount of hot water to allow the provision of the final desired consistency by further stirring. Make sure that there are no lumps in the tea and that the consistency is uniform and even. Once satisfied with the result, the whisk is slowly turned around the bowl once and lifted carefully and straight up from the center so that any drops fall into the bowl.
The tea is served immediately and goes from hand to hand, drying the place that has been drunk from clean with a small moistened cloth or a piece of soft paper (chakin, kaishi) before passing on the dish. Make the tea thicker or thinner to taste and please. A little too thin is often preferable to a little too thick.
Source: Søren Bisgaard
