Thursday, September 17, 2009

Ultimate sencha brewing? II

How are you today, everyone? As I told you yesterday I tried brewing three times with different water temperature, which can bring out full quality of sencha, and you can enjoy three different teas.
Sencha: 10g (0.35oz)
Amount of water: 100ml (3.2oz)

First brewing –10 minutes with cold water (5 degree C, 41F)
For The rich umami (the fifth taste sensation, delicious flavor)
This is how much 10g tea leaves and 100ml water look like.
I used ice cubes to cool down the water.





This is the tea leaves right after adding cold water.








Waited ten minutes








Second brewing – 1minute with warm water (50 degree C, 122F)
For The great harmony of umami and bitterness
This is how tea leaves looked like after first brewing.






Waited for one minute








Third brewing – 1 minute with boiling water
For The bitterness
This is how tea leaves looked like after second brewing






From the right, first, second, third brewing teas.








**Result **
The First tea: Totally different from regular sencha, amazing umami
Color of brewed tea – Clear greenish yellow
Smell – Faint sweet aroma
Taste – Very rich umami more like gyokuro than sencha, Slight sweetness and bitterness

The second tea: Good balance in the taste
Color of brewed tea – Murky green with slight yellow
Smell – Very little aroma
Taste – Rich bitterness and umami A great harmony of various flavors and good taste-balance sencha

The third tea: Too strong with bitterness
Color of brewed tea – Murky green
Smell – full aroma of bitteness
Taste – Too bitter so I mixed it with hot water.

**Conclusion **
Overall, every tea had rich flavor. Personally, I would prefer little more milder teas. So I will use fewer tea leaves (5-7g) for the next time. The third tea was too bitter. I think one minute brewing was too long. Five seconds will be enough. The second tea was just well brewed sencha. The first tea was amazing, so you definitely should try it!!

Have a good day.

2 comments:

  1. i have been brewing this way for two days now, and it is a very flavorful method; i like it better than the standard way of brewing you find in literature. i find that the first brew of cold water has a wonderful umami taste, and the second is well balanced, for the third i use 50 degree water and brew for 10 seconds.
    i have finished reading all of your blog posts, and i feel enlightened about chado, and am happy experimenting with the different ways of brewing you show!

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  2. You have tried 50 degC for 10 seconds for the third brewing. That sounds pretty reasonable and it must have been good^^

    I’m very glad to know that you have read all of my entries! I’m so flattered. Thank you very much☆*:.。. o(≧▽≦)o .。.:*☆ Now, I’m taking a break from posting new posts, but I would like to back in writing in about a month. Jah!

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