All You Need To Know About Japanese Tea: How to Brew a Perfect Cup of Tea

Brewing Japanese tea is a careful art that demands precision and patience to achieve an ideal cup. Every type of Japanese tea has its distinct characteristics, flavor, and brewing techniques. This guide offers indispensable tips for preparing various types of Japanese tea flawlessly.

How to Brew Sencha (Japanese Green Tea)

1. Pour boiling water into a teacup. This allows you to measure the amount of water and also lowers its temperature before putting it into the teapot.
2. Put 2 teaspoons (about 6g) of tea leaves into the teapot.
3. When the water cools down to the appropriate temperature (around 75℃), pour it into the teapot (about 250ml for each serving), cover it, and wait for about 60 seconds.
4. If you have multiple cups, pour the tea evenly into each cup to ensure even infusion. Pour until the last drop.
5. For the second and subsequent infusions, use slightly hotter water and steep for 10-20 seconds before pouring into the teacup.

How to Brew Fukamushi Sencha (Deep-Steamed Sencha)

1. Pour boiling water into a teacup. This allows you to measure the amount of water and also lowers its temperature before putting it into the teapot.
2. Put 2 teaspoons (about 6g) of tea leaves into the teapot.
3. When the water cools down to the appropriate temperature (around 80℃), pour it into a teapot (about 250ml for each serving), cover it, and wait for about 30 seconds.
4. If you have multiple cups, pour the tea evenly into each cup to ensure even infusion. Pour until the last drop.
5. For the second and subsequent infusions, use slightly hotter water and steep for 10-20 seconds before pouring into the teacup.

How to Brew Gyokuro (Japanese Shaded Green Tea)

1. Pour boiling water into a teacup. This allows you to measure the amount of water and also lowers its temperature before putting it into the teapot.
2. Put 3 teaspoons (about 8g) of tea leaves into the teapot.
3. When the water cools down to the appropriate temperature (around 60℃), pour about 90ml of it into the teapot for each serving, cover it, and wait for about 120 seconds.
4. If you have multiple cups, pour the tea evenly into each cup to ensure even infusion. Pour until the last drop.
5. For the second and subsequent infusions, use slightly hotter water and steep for 10-20 seconds before pouring into the teacup.

How to Brew (A Midpoint Between Sencha and Gyokuro)

1. Pour boiling water into the teacup. This allows you to measure the amount of water and also lowers its temperature before putting it into the teapot.
2. Put 2 teaspoons (about 6g) of tea leaves into the teapot.
3. When the water cools down to the appropriate temperature (around 70℃), pour about 200ml of it into the teapot for each serving, cover it, and wait for about 90 seconds.
4. If you have multiple teacups, pour the tea evenly into each cup to ensure consistent strength. Pour until the last drop.
5. For the second and subsequent infusions, use slightly hotter water and steep for 10-20 seconds before pouring into the teacup.

How to Brew Gyokurocha (A Fine Japanese Green Tea)

1. Pour boiling water into the teacup. This allows you to measure the amount of water and also lowers its temperature before putting it into the teapot.
2. Put 2 teaspoons (about 6g) of tea leaves into the teapot.
3. When the water cools down to the appropriate temperature (around 80℃), pour about 250ml of it into the teapot for each serving, cover it, and wait for about 50 seconds.
4. If you have multiple cups, pour the tea evenly into each cup to ensure even infusion. Pour until the last drop.
5. For the second and subsequent infusions, use slightly hotter water and steep for 10-20 seconds before pouring into the teacup.

How to Brew Shincha (First Harvest Sencha)

1. Pour boiling water into the teacup. This allows you to measure the amount of water and also lowers its temperature before putting it into the teapot.
2. Put 2 teaspoons (about 6g) of tea leaves into the teapot.
3. When the water cools down to the appropriate temperature (around 80℃), pour about 250ml of it into the teapot for each serving, cover it, and wait for about 40 seconds.
4. If you have multiple cups, pour the tea evenly into each cup to ensure even infusion. Pour until the last drop.
5. For the second and subsequent infusions, use slightly hotter water and steep for 10-20 seconds before pouring into the teacup.

How to Brew Hojicha (Japanese Roasted Green Tea)

1. Boil water thoroughly.
2. Put 2 rounded teaspoons (about 4g) of tea leaves into the teapot.
3. Pour 250ml of hot water (95℃) into the teapot, cover it, and wait for about 30 seconds.
4. If you have multiple cups, pour the tea evenly into each cup to ensure even infusion. Pour until the last drop.
5. For the second and subsequent infusions, pour hot water and steep for about 10 seconds before pouring into the teacup.

How to Brew Genmaicha (Green Tea with Roasted Brown Rice)

1. Boil water thoroughly.
2. Put 2 teaspoons (about 6g) of tea leaves into the teapot.
3. Pour 250ml of hot water (95℃) into the teapot, cover it, and wait for about 30 seconds.
4. If you have multiple cups, pour the tea evenly into each cup to ensure even infusion. Pour until the last drop.
5. For the second and subsequent infusions, pour hot water and steep for about 10 seconds before pouring into the teacup.