Green tea is more than just a hot drink. Each cup of green tea contains numerous antioxidants that help improve heart health, brain function and stave off the risk of getting certain types of cancer. To make the most of its properties, it is important to serve this health concentrate in the right way.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Drink Green Tea
Step 1. Hold the cup with your right hand while supporting it from below with your left hand
The porcelain cup (or "yunomi" as it is called in Japanese) should be supported with both hands. Using both is considered a sign of education in Japan.
Step 2. Drink the tea without making a noise
Try not to make sounds by blowing on the tea to cool it or while sipping it. If it's hot, put the cup back on the table and wait a few minutes before drinking it.
Step 3. Make room for your tastes
It is essential that you want to drink green tea and that you like it, so indulge your preferences in terms of flavor, aroma and sweetness. Choose and prepare the tea with the intent to satisfy the requests of your palate.
Part 2 of 3: Food Pairing
Step 1. Green tea should be paired with ingredients that are not too tasty to avoid overwhelming the taste
As a snack, you can drink tea accompanied by butter biscuits, rice crackers or a slice of margherita cake.
Step 2. Pair it with sweet foods rather than savory ones
Green tea goes well with sweet foods as it is quite bitter. Where it is needed it is able to dilute the sweetness.
Step 3. Try serving green tea with "mochi"
They are traditional Japanese sweets with a round shape that are prepared with rice. They have a rather sticky texture and are generally white, but can also be found in other colors.
There are also salty "mochi". The sweet version is called "daifuku" and in the center hides a delicious filling similar to a jam that is prepared with red or white beans
Part 3 of 3: Prepare and Serve Green Tea
Step 1. Prepare it right
Only heat the water until it reaches a slight boil, then remove the saucepan from the heat and wait 30-60 seconds before pouring it over the tea leaves to cool down a bit.
The temperature and quality of the water used for the infusion are essential elements that influence the goodness of the drink
Step 2. Rinse a teacup, preferably ceramic, with boiling water
The goal is to warm the cup to prevent the porcelain from cooling the tea once poured.
Step 3. Put the tea leaves in the hot cup
If possible, use loose leaf tea, which is of higher quality than tea bags.
According to tradition, one teaspoon (3 g) of tea should be used for every two liters of water. If you're making it just for yourself, just one teaspoon is enough. Adjust the quantities based on the number of people you want to serve it to
Step 4. Pour the boiling water over the tea leaves and let them steep
The brewing time depends on the type of green tea you are using. Generally it goes from 1 to 3 minutes.
- After the leaves have been steeped for the necessary time, strain the tea.
- If the leaves are steeped for too long, the tea will have a bitter taste and an unbalanced aroma ratio. Respect the infusion times indicated on the packaging of the tea leaves.
- If the tea doesn't taste strong enough, use more leaves or try letting them steep a little longer.
Step 5. Prepare the cups in which it will be served
According to the Japanese tradition, green tea should be drunk in small porcelain cups which must be white inside to allow you to appreciate the nuances of the drink. It is important that the cups are made of porcelain because the materials also influence their taste.
- If you want to respect the Japanese tradition, arrange the teapot, cups, saucers, the typical container called "yuzamashi" in which to cool the water and a cloth on a tray.
- The size of the cups is also considered very important; generally the smaller they are, the better the quality of the tea served.
Step 6. Pour the tea into the cups in three steps
The top one is less strong than the bottom one, so to make sure the aromas are evenly distributed across all cups, fill them in three steps. Pour the tea into the first cup, filling it only one-third full, then move on to the others. Repeat filling them one at a time for two thirds and finally completely to finish the cycle.
Never fill the cups to the brim as this is considered a rude gesture. For the ceremony to be perfect you should fill them 70% full
Step 7. Do not add milk, sugar or other ingredients
Green tea has an intense taste and if it is prepared correctly it does not need any additions, it is already delicious in itself.
If you have a habit of adding milk and sugar, "pure" tea may seem unpleasant at first, but try drinking a few cups before varying the recipe
Step 8. Reuse the tea leaves
Generally they can also be used three times, just pour more boiling water over them and leave them to infuse for the same time.
