How to make a perfect standard Japanese green tea

Hi guys

I’m Rica, a Japanese tea lifestyle coordinator

from Tokyo

Today I going to show you some techniques to make a tasty standard Japanese green tea

Standard green tea is picked later than high-grade green tea

and

it contains a lot of catechin which is bitter but good for your health.

Have you ever heard of Catechin?

Catechin has a lot of good health effects such as

anti-aging by anti oxidation, anti-obesity, anti-virus and so on

So many “anti” effects!

Ok now let’s look at these tea utensils

This  is “Kyusu”, a traditional Japanese style tea pot

These  are “Chawan”, traditional Japanese style  tea cups.

I have prepared 3 cups for 3 people this time

These are “Chataku”, saucers for Chawan

This is “Chakan” or “Chazutsu”, a Japanese style tea caddy

Here is a teaspoon and a one-minute hour glass

About hot water, please use soft water

because it goes much better with Japanese tea than hard water

Also please make sure that you boil water before using

This is a secret to make your tea tasty

Ok now let’s make green tea!

There are 4 important points to make perfect green tea:

1. Amount of tea leaves, 2. Amount of hot water, 3. Temperature of hot water, and 4. infusion time

Point1. The ideal amount of tea leaves is 2 or 3 grams per person so 6 grams for 3 people today

A heaped teaspoonful of tea leaves is 3 grams so do that twice

Point 2 & 3: Amount and temperature of hot water

In order to enjoy a refreshing light bitterness of tea and extract catechin well, prepare hot water of 90℃ degrees celsius

When you pour hot water into a cup the temperature goes down 5 to 10 ℃

so now pour the boiling water into the cups and lower the temperature to 90℃

This process also helps you warm up the cups and measure the amount of water

Point 4 is infusion time

The best infusion time for a standard Japanese green tea is 1 minute

Wait for one minute

While we are waiting let me talk about our relationship between tea and me.

My great grandpa opened  a retail store in Higashikurume Tokyo in 1915

and

my grandma started selling Japanese tea in 1966

Unfortunately our family closed the store in 2013

but I was almost brought up in the store  

because all of my family was working there

When I was a small kid I was already crazy about tea

and without asking I would take tea leaves from the store

I loved chewing tea leaves as much as my schoolmates loved chewing gum

After school I usually visited the store

and made tea for the staff and my family working there

Since then I love tea itself

but I love the time to have tea together with people even more

Ok 1 minute just passed

There are 2 points when you pour tea into the cups

I will show you the first point now

Watch this

Pour the tea little by little into the cups like 1 2 3

then go back 3 2 1, 1 2 3 , 3 2 1

This process is to make the tea’s strength even

The second point is to pour the tea until the last drop is poured

Some people say that the last drop is the most tasty part so don’t miss it!

Also if you leave some tea in the teapot, the tea will continue to be infused

and the second brew of tea is going to be very bitter

Other techniques to enjoy the second brew is

to tap the teapot and move the tea leaves to the center

and replace the lid of teapot like this so that the tea leaves will not be steamed

Now tasty green tea is ready!

I believe a tea time is always peaceful.

Recently people have been too busy and tired

and this unhealthy lifestyle has ended up making them self-centered and unhappy

I believe efficient and appropriate tea breaks during work

will help them to maintain  their mental conditions

So that’s one of the themes that I am working on

to develop a healthy and happy society through Japanese tea.

Anyway, thank you for watching the video

I hope you will enjoy a perfect standard Japanese green tea

with your family and friends

I will see you next time

We are CHA-Link 茶輪

Have a good day 🙂