What can you do with the scraps of tea leaves that are left behind after brewing?

Yesterday, I attended a tea workshop held in my city. The workshop was entitled “Japanese Tea for Ladies”. It was a short session which was good for 30 min, only. The instructor lectured about following:
A,) The efficacies of green tea for beautiful skin and diet;
B,) The difference between regular sencha and deep-steamed sencha;
C,) A demonstration of how to brew deep-steamed sencha.

We actually got a chance to try testing both regular and deep-steamed sencha in the workshop.

 

What I was most interested about was eating the scraps of tea leaves that are left behind after brewing. Usually, these scraps are thrown away. But you can also eat the tea leaves after they have been brewed for tea. You put them on a small plate or bowl and put dry tuna flakes as topping. You can eat them with soy-based sauce. It can be enjoyed as a side dish.

I have tried eating the scraps of gyokuro. In addition this instructor also introduced eating scraps of tea leaves out of sencha. Thus, not only tea leaves from gyokuro can be eaten but also those from sencha. The leaves of high-quality tea or the first tea of the season are soft and good for eating. Low-grade tea or late-picked tea is hard and not good for eating. What we had at the workshop was the first sencha of this year from Yakushima. It was lighter in taste than gyokuor’s. I quite liked the sencha scraps. Actually, I prefer sencha rather than gyokuro for eating. I want to try it home sometime.

This tea-leaf dish is similar to a common Japanese dish, which is often made of spinach or rapeseed flowers. It is familiar to us but eating tea leaves may be strange for you (^^;; Wanna try it?

Is the foam necessary on the surface of matcha?

How does the surface of the matcha you prepared look like? Is it totally or partially covered with foam?

I have heard different opinions about the foam. The foam makes the tea milder, so it’s good to make plenty of them. Well, that sounds right. On the other hand, I heard that too much whisking makes the tea react with air and oxidize it. Therefore, it makes the tea bitter. Hmmm, this also makes sense. They are kind of contradicting each other, but I think they are both true. I guess you need the balance between both theories.

In sado (The Way of Tea), how much foam you make depends on the family traditions. In some family tradition, you make plenty of foam and others don’t. The family tradition I’m learning suggests medium foam which partially covers the surface. However, I have not acquired the skill to achieve it. I personally think if the tea is not mixed well, it will taste rough. So, I want to whisk well and I keep making a lot of foam that covers the entire surface. It is not good in my family tradition. I’m struggling between whisking well and not making too much foam. I think I need more practice to create a perfect foam on matcha (^^;; How about you, how are you doing with the foam?

A is what I usually prepare.
B is what I need to achieve.

I have tried the double-processed method

As I mentioned on the last entry, I actually tried the double-processed brewing and the standard brewing as well.

Conditions

Water: 70ml, 70degC (158degF)

Tea leaves: 3g of kabushecha

  

A: standard brewing

Brewing time >> One minute

I put the tea leaves and hot water and brewed it for one minute.

 

B: double-processed brewing

Brewing time >> 20sec with a little water + 50sec with whole water

I put the tea leaves into the teapot and poured a little hot water, just enough to cover the tea leaves.  

The leaves absorbed the water and changed their color. It took about 15-20sec. The leaves looked like this.

Then I poured rest of the water and left it for another 50sec

These are the teas that I have brewed. Tea B was darker and little murkier.

A: Tea brewed with standard way

This tea had an exact density. A nice accord of bitterness and sweetness filled my mouth which reminds me of a breeze coming in from the window. And I found a trace of umami in the after taste.

B: Tea brewed with double-processed method

It had a bold attack of umami when I sipped it. It was sensational. The flavor was definitely richer and had a lingering aftertaste. I think that pouring additional water in the middle of brewing agitates the tea and water, and makes the tea murkier. It also helps to bring out full flavor of the tea.

Therefore, I conclude that Tea A is clearer in taste, and Tea B is richer. I can’t say which is better. It depends on your preference. If you want to enjoy nice and smooth tea, brew the tea in the standard way. When you want to enjoy the full potential of tea, then the double-processed method works better.

I expected not to have much difference in the result but actually there was a certain difference. Now I think I need to try whatever I’m curious about. You never know what you gonna get. Forrest Gump^^

A brewing method I learned from a book

Do you remember the first time when you prepared Japanese tea yourself? Who or where did you learn it from? I don’t remember exactly but I think I learned it from my grandma when I was in my elementary. I prepared and served tea to help my parents when we had guests.

Now I sometimes learn about tea preparation from books. The book I read yesterday introduces a slightly different way from the standard brewing. The standard brewing is putting the tea leaves, followed by a hot water, and leaving it for a minute. However, the method the book introduces has one extra step on the standard brewing. The book tells that you pour the hot water into the tea pot in two steps. Other brewing conditions are the same between the both brewings.

The tea-preparation steps are as follows:

1. Soak the tea leaves
Put the tea leaves into a teapot. Pour a little hot water, just enough to cover the leaves. Put a lid on and leave it a little while.

2. Add more water, and wait
After the entire leaves got wet and changed its color, pour the rest of hot water into the teapot the second time. Put back the lid on and leave it for 30-60sec.

The method is introduced by a tea-tasting master and I thought it can be reliable information. But it didn’t explain the reason why you need to pour the water into the teapot twice and also didn’t mention the advantages of it. Also the instruction is not specific. I don’t know how long exactly the soaking step takes. 10sec? 60sec? I’m kind of doubtful of the great efficacy of the method. What do you think?

I think that the water temperature will be lower in this method than the standard one. So what I can assume is that you might be able to brew mellower tea. But if you want mellow tea, you can just use low-temperature water from the beginning. What is the reason for the extra step? Now I want to try the method myself. Tomorrow, I’ll write about it! See ya!

The confection named rapeseed flowers

Hey, it’s time of cherry blossoms! In my region, it’s the peak of blooming now. The best period is short and only lasts for a week or so. Maybe, that’s why Japanese is so fascinated with cherry blossoms. Yesterday, I went to on a cherry viewing picnic with my family at a neighboring park. We took my grandfather and had lunch there. 　It was a fine day and no cloud was in the sky. Children were playing with parents. A senior couple was relaxing at a bench. A group of young people was parting with alcohol. Many people were enjoying under the cherries. It feels nice to eat outside sometimes.

We went to Azumaken, my favorite confectionary shop in my town. This is one of the sweets we got. The confection is named rapeseed flowers which are after a spring flower of the same name. I think it appears like yellow blossoms in a green field. It has sweet bean past inside.

Photo of rapeseed flowers >>> Wikipedia

Incense container

You can smell a scent in a tea room. We place incense in the hearth. Our tea master showed us some of her incense containers. There are variety types. The ones in the back row are made of ceramic and used in winter. The ones on the first row are wooden and used in summer.

Joyo, the king of Japanese cake

I remember that I could not help eating joyo, a kind of Japanese confection at my grandfather’s funeral. Many neighbors and relatives brought joyo and there were more than you can eat. I was 14 or 15. Maybe that was the time that I realized I love Japanese confections. Since then joyo has been my favorite.





Joyo is one of the traditional cakes in Japan. It’s popular and you can find it anywhere. It’s a simple confection. Sweet bean paste is covered with dough. The dough is like thin sponge which is made of rice and yam (a kind of root crop) if I remember right. When you put it in your mouth, the pleasant sweetness of bean paste will occupy your palate. The earthy flavor of yam adds an accent on the sweetness and you can even smell the aroma. Your hand naturally knows what you want next. That’s right, … a cup of green tea ^^


At last night’s tea lesson, the sweet was the joyo! I had a happy moment with joyo and matcha.

Black bean tea at a contemporary restaurant

How do you celebrate a birthday for your family member? Do you have a party at home or eat out at a fancy restaurant? I went to a restaurant for my wife’s birthday.





The meal we had was Japanese cuisine, which included some traditional dishes, such as sashimi and sushi. Some of them came on a western plate. The interior of the restaurant is modern. We loved the fusion of Japanese & Western, and Tradition & Modern.






Black bean tea was served at the end of the course. This kind of tea is not made of the tea plant, so it is not technically a tea. Anyway, it has nice roasted aroma. The taste was very smooth and doesn’t have much bitterness. Maybe, hojicha is the similar tea to describe this bean-tea flavor. The tea was pleasure for refreshing my mouth after the meal.

Get to know Japanese tea by starting with the four types

If you want to know what Japanese tea is like, try the four types that I recommend here. There are 13 types of Japanese tea. Some of you might wonder which one is good or what you should have first. Here is the answer for you ☆*:.。. o(≧▽≦)o .。.:*☆


1. Sencha (The most common green tea) or Fukamushi-sencha (Deep-steamed sencha)
These are the basic of Japanese tea. You can’t talk about Japanese tea without knowing sencha. They are the most popular and common green tea in Japan. These teas have great harmony of bitterness and umami, which is the best charm of Japanese tea. You can enjoy sencha any time, and sencha can be your main tea among these four.

sencha

fukamushi-sencha



2. Matcha (Powdered tea)
This is the tea used in tea ceremonies or sado (The Way of Tea). It is enjoyed less frequently than sencha, but sado has a big aspect in Japanese tea culture. A lot of other Japanese culture have been influenced by sado, as well. Now matcha flavored foods and beverages are popular, such as matcha latte and matcha cake. Matcha is very thick and rich in flavor. I strongly recommend the fine-quality one. Low quality one has strong bitterness, and the fine ones don’t. You can enjoy it at your home party or for any special occasions.




3. Hojicha (Roasted green tea) or Genmaicha (Brown rice tea)
These are the tea for people. They are reasonable and enjoyed casually. It is usually prepared with plenty of water. The taste is not that strong so they can be enjoyed with meals and snacks. If you have one in your tea selections, it will be the most useful tea.

hojicha

genmaicha



4. Kabusecha (Covered tea) or Gyokuro (Premium green tea)
These teas have rich umami, which is the distinctive flavor found in Japanese tea. They are good when you want to enjoy something different. You will appreciate them at premium tea time or when you want to relish fine tea at your personal time. I recommend preparing these teas in small servings, so that the taste of these teas will be concentrated.

kabusecha
.
gyokuro



What do you think? Don’t you feel like starting Japanese tea? I’m sure that your tea life will be much abundant by having these four types in your selection.

Types of Japanese tea

How many types of Japanese tea can you name? Today, I want to talk about the types of Japanese tea. Here are the 13 major types.

Sencha - The most common green tea -
Fukamushi-sencha - Deep-steamed sencha -
Bancha - Coarse tea -
Kabusecha - Covered tea -
Roasted tamaryokucha - Roasted curled tea -
Steamed tamaryokucha (Guricha) - Steamed curled tea -
Matcha - Powdered tea, which used in the tea ceremony -
Gyokuro - Premium green tea -
Hojicha - Roasted green tea -
Genmaicha - Brown rice tea -
Konacha - Flake tea -
Mecha - Bud tea -
Kukicha - Twig tea -



These Japanese teas are all made from the same tea plant, but they are produced slightly different. How many of them have you ever tried? I guess you have tried sencha, the most common green tea. That’s my favorite.


Can you think of what is in common among of the following three teas?
Kabusecha - Covered tea -
Matcha - Powdered tea, which used in the tea ceremony -
Gyokuro - Premium green tea -

Yes, the tea plans for these teas are covered with a screen to shut out the direct sunlight about 10-20 days before the tea leaves are picked. Those teas have richer umami and more expensive than other teas.

Kabusecha and gyokuro are made with the same process of sencha, but the difference is the degree of the covering of the plantation. Tea plant for sencha is not covered and gyokuro is covered about 20 days before picking. Kabusecha is somewhere in between.


How about the following two teas? What do you think in common for them?
Hojicha - Roasted green tea -
Genmaicha - Brown rice tea -

They are secondly processed tea. Hojicha is made by roasting sencha, bancha or kukicha. Genmaicha is sencha or bancha blended with roasted brown rice. They are popular and a casual tea. They are often served at restaurants in Japan, as well. They have nice roasted aroma smell.

If you are a beginner of Japanese tea, you may wonder which one is good or where you should start from. Tomorrow, I’ll recommend the four types for you. See ya!

Shinano ceramic center in Seto, Aichi 2

Continuation from the last entry

Well… I did awful, ha ha ha… I didn’t have the skill to make the thin walls. So my tea bowl was very thick and heavy. Most of you may know that potteries shrink when they are baked. So, it also became much smaller than I expected (－_－＃) It didn’t have much space to move the tea whisk in it. It looks really bad for a tea bowl, doesn’t it? However, I had some kind of attachment to it and used it for a while. I don’t know where it went now, though … (^^;;

From that experience, I really admire the craftsmanship that potters have. When I watch the pottery making of professionals, the clay moves like a creature and transforms into the shape that potters want. That is amazing.



You can purchase those pottery wares made by local artists at Shinano ceramic center. I found some very expensive tea bowls. I cannot buy one, but it’s nice to just look at them.

This is 420,000yen!!!


These are 230,000 and 210,000yen!


There are some other places where you can try pottery making in Seto. If you have a chance to come to our city, please try it. It’s going to be fun. Oh, by the way, I gotta go back to the michinoeki for the noodle! Wanna come with me?