Japan is renowned for its elaborate tea ceremony and for producing green tea that changes its taste as it cools. However, Organic Kagoshima Sencha Yabukita isn’t one of them. While Japanese and deserving of a sense of ceremony when it’s brewed, Kagoshima Sencha Yabukita maintains its mild yet stimulating taste at whatever temperature it’s drunk.

Even when it is brewed for the first time, Kagoshima Sencha Yabukita doesn’t have any astringency and has a smooth body. Its deliciously sweet aftertaste also lingers, inviting you to take another sip. The second time Kagoshima Sencha Yabukita is brewed it continues to offer a full bodied and satisfyingly refreshing cup of tea.

THE WATER TEMPERATURE

The golden rule about water temperature is never use boiling water on the tea, whatever kind of tea you are making.

Green Teas require water at 70°C and black teas require water at 85-90°C.

These days you can get kettles which enable you to choose your water temperature.

THE AMOUNT OF TEA

Custom dictates that 4 grams are sufficient for one cup. But the amount is partly a matter of preference. In the case of Assam tea, which is naturally very robust, you might want to reduce the strength and brew 3 grams instead of 4.

THE BREWING TIME

This is a very important step in the art of tea-making. In fact, the brewing time varies depending on the type of tea. An over-brewed black tea will develop a bitter taste whilst an under-brewed white tea will be flat and insipid.

Black teas are normally brewed for 2-3 minutes, green teas for 3 – 4 minutes. It is a good idea to check the brewing time before making the tea, because some teas need to be infused for very specific times: for example, Jade Pearl is left to infuse for 7 – 20 minutes, whilst Oolong tea will need 5 – 7 minutes for its bouquet to develop fully.

Brewing is normally done with a lid on, so that the tea retains all its aromas.