The Kaboku Tearoom

I had tea in a cafe called Kaboku at Ippodo Tea. 

I had their best grade sencha.  At the cafe, you brew your own tea.  The staff gave me instructions for brewing tea at our table.  There were plenty of leaves in the pot.

 She told me to pour hot water into a cup and leave it for a moment.  Then I needed to pour the water into another cup which is used as a watercooler.

 

While pouring the water, I spilled some and it almost scalded my fingers (^^;;  The staff told me to hold the cup like in the picture below.  Yes of course, I knew it.  I was Stupid.  Ordinary Japanese cups have a base, called hama in Japanese.  So, the bottom doesn’t get so hot usually. 

Look at another picture below.  See, I’m holding the cup the wrong way, again, hahaha…  I’m one of those typical people who often forget what was properly taught.

Anyway, the staff told me to be certain about the brewing time.  The correct time for this tea was 50 sec.  You can start timing from the moment you pour the water into the teapot.  I thought it was pretty strict.  I guess it’s because this brewing method uses about twice the amount of leaves to extract generous tea.  As a result, a slight time difference will affect the taste.
The staff also advised not to shake the teapot; slowly tilt it until all the tea is out when you pour the tea into a cup.

The tea color was nice clear yellow and I found an elegant sweetness in its aroma.  I sipped it.  I was shocked with its flavor.  The most distinctive taste was mouth-filling umami..  Umami is never that rich in ordinary sencha.   At the same time, this sencha was very crisp so I could find and enjoy various flavors in it.  At The Kaboku Tearoom, I learned to be more careful about the time and not to scald my fingers, haha..  Jah!