Tea of the Month – Sencha of the Summer Sun
Today I thought I would test the waters with a post about the Tea of the Month chosen by a different staff member each month.
This month we have the wonderful Kayo-San choosing her favourite tea for July and her brewing method.
We had a lot of fun shooting for this and I hope you also enjoyed the video to accompany this blog also!
Kayo-San has been with Obubu for more than 10 years and so has been able to see each harvest season pass and experiment with different brewing methods for different teas. So this recommendation definitely comes from a seasoned tea brewing veteran.
We have various equipment shown for todays brew however we will only need the following for Kayo-san’s brewing.
What you need :
Tea – 8 grams of Sencha of the Summer Sun
Teapot – your weapon of choice
Pitcher
Cups
Ice Cubes
Kettle (for hot water)
The need for refreshing cold tea
We will start by putting approximately 8 grams of tea into the teapot. Kayo-San used one heaped table spoon (カレースプーン) of tea into the teapot.
Next we want to pour 150ml of 90°c water into the teapot and allow to brew for 2 minutes. This will bring out the bitterness in the tea but please do not worry, this is part of the plan as you will see later.
As the tea is brewing in our Futanashi Kyusu we are able to watch as the leaf unfurls and changes colour. Being able to watch the brewing process in action allows us to be able to better judge when the tea is ready for pouring.
No the aim of the game is waiting until the leaf has opened up by around 65% and at this point we should have reached approximately 2 minutes and we will be ready to pour the tea.
It’s now time to pour the tea and what a stunning colour! With the Funtanashi Kyusu we are able to enjoy the aroma which the tea gives us as it is brewing and while we pour the tea also.
A Kyusu, with the characteristic side handle always makes for easier brewing as it’s more ergonomic for the hand.
As you pour the tea into cups for each person you can pour a little slowly to make sure that the tea is cold enough. Just be careful if you have a lot of ice cubes and a wide mouth jug as this will be much easier to overflow your cups!
All that we have left is to serve this delicious and refreshing cold tea!
Kayo-San recommends drinking this tea on a hot summer day. The refreshing coldness and the crisp acidity and bitterness of the hot brewed chilled tea gives you immediate respite from the heat! While also serving as a boost to your energy levels and being a very healthy alternative to fizzy drinks!
Please do try this tea and method of brewing, Kayo-San knows her stuff and I was very pleasantly surprised that a very hot brewed green tea would be so incredibly delicious when chilled.
As the summer heat starts to sap your strength do not forget to hydrate and drink some delicious cold refreshing tea!
I wonder who and which tea we will have next month!
– George
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