Can you never brew delicious sencha with boiling water? 2

This is the continuation from the last entry.

So, what do you think? Do you think I can brew delicious tea?
These are the teas brewed with boiling water in the conditions that I mentioned yesterday.



The results are …

A,B and C: Light
These were too light, not much bitterness or umami. I wanted more flavor.

D: Smooth and sweet!
This tea was very smooth and mild. Without much bitterness, nice sweetness filled my mouth. It was a little different from ordinary tea but this was also great. I think that water's high temperature and long brewing time bring out the whole potential of the tea. I love this light tea.

I had known that the condition D (1g tea and 3min brewing) brewes good tea, but I wanted to explore other possible conditions for boiling water brewing. That’s why I tried the conditions A, B and C. But I could not get satisfying results with 2g or 3g of leaves. Now, I did brew again for the conditions A and C with longer brewing time.

Adjusted conditions are …
A’: Tea: 2g, Time: 40sec
C’: Tea: 3g, Time: 30sec



The results from the both conditions were excellent! They didn’t get too bitter or strong. They had great density and flavorful green tea aroma. They were as good as regular brewed tea.

I want to conclude that you can brew delicious sencha with boiling water by adjusting the brewing time and amount of leaves. The tea brewed with boiling water might not have as much umami, but it has a sweet aroma and refined taste. High temperature tea is refreshing. The conditions that I liked in these tests were the following …

Water: 100ml (3.5oz), 100degC (121F)
D - Tea: 1g, Time 3min
A’ - Tea: 2g, Time 40sec
C’- Tea: 3g, Time 30sec
(When you try these, it might need some adjustments for your own tea)

There was not a huge difference in taste among the three conditions above. But, if I were to choose one, I liked the 3g, 30sec brewing (C’) most. Tea easily gets too strong or light with every small difference in brewing time on boiling-water and short-time brewing. You need extra care on the brewing time. Maybe the longer brewing, like 3min with 1g (D) will be safer and recommended. I think it is a good method to tell true flavore of tea. Why don’t you give it a try.