When making tea, first determine the number of cups, the amount of tea,
the temperature of the hot water, and the infusion time. This will vary
in quantity and time depending on the type of tea and the number of people
drinking it. As an example, the number of cups, amount of tea, temperature
of hot water, and leaching time for gyokuro and kabusecha teas are listed
below.(Number of teacups, amount of tea, temperature of hot water, and
brewing time are the same for gyokuro and kabusecha)
| Number of Teacups | Amount of tea | Hot water temperature | Brewing time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 10g | about 60℃ | 2 minutes |
The procedure for making tea also varies greatly, with certain procedures
not being required for certain types of tea. As an example, the procedure for making gyokuro
tea is as follows: cool the water, pour in hot water, cool
the water, add tea leaves, pour in hot water, pour in hot water, and pour in
tea.
The first pouring is the process of cooling the water by pouring it into
a kyusu, The second pouring is the process of pouring hot water from a
teacup into a kyusu and waiting for the tea to come out. The last pouring
is the process of transferring tea from the kyusu with tea leaves into
the teacups of the number of people in the group. For example, during the
final pouring process, the temperature should be kept between 35 and
40 degrees Celsius for the best tea flavor.
The next example of tea, Kabusecha, is to cool the water in the teapot, cool in individual cupd, add tea leaves, and pour the tea.The reason why there are two steps to cool the water is because the first step is to fill the teapot with hot water and let it cool, while the second step is to pour the cooled water from the teapot into the teacups for the number of people.
At this point, if we look at the process of making tea for gyokuro and
kabusecha, we see that gyokuro has a process of pouring hot water, while
kabusecha has no process of pouring hot water.
The differences in procedures for different types of tea, which we discussed in the section discussing tea brewing wethods, have to do with the umami level and other flavors of the tea.
For example, the fact that gyokuro has a hot water pouring process and kabusecha does not, eliminates the process of cooling the water with a hot water heater. This allows the tea to maintain a higher temperature. In turn, this makes the tea more bitter and astringent. The taste of tea changes depending on the temperature of the water. The higher the temperature of the tea, the more bitter and astringent it tastes, the lower the temperature, the more umami and sweet it tastes. If you want to drink tea with bitterness or astringency, eliminate the pouring process as much as possible and keep the temperature of the tea high. If you want to drink tea with umami or sweetness, increase the number of steps in the tea making process or extend the time to cool the water.
Other processes, such as putting tea bags in an ice pod, squeezing the tea bags, and removing them, can be used to make a refreshing, easy-to-drink cold tea for the summer. Anothermetlhod to make a simple, delicious tea using a pot, teapot, and tea leaves is by adding tea leaves, pouring hot water, and pouring tea.This tea can also be made to your own taste by changing the process a little. In this way, you can change the flavor and taste of the tea and make your own favorite tea just by changing the tea making process.