How to Brew Japanese Green Tea with HOUHIN and SHIBORIDASHI (GYOKURO & SENCHA)

Hello We are SHIHA TEAPOT SHOP. This is How to Brew Japanese Green Tea with HOUHIN and SHIBORIDASHI, The tip of brewing are also added to the end. Please check and enjoy your teatime.

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Prepare Shiboridashi (or HOUHIN) , Yuzamashi (water coolling ware), small cups.

Shiboridashi (and HOUHIN) are used to brew Gyokuro or Sencha with rich umami.
Extract thick and pure umami, and enjoy small amount. Even a small amount, rich flavor and texture with long aftertaste will give you special experience. This is purose of the brewing in this way.

Gyokuro or Sencha with rich umami are used with this brewing method.

Green Tea with low umami content are not suitable for this type of brewing.

Put 5g of tea leaves in Shiboridashi.

(Ratio of tea leaves and water is differnt from standard brewing – Much tea leaves, Less water. )

Use 50 ml (1.7oz) Water with 60 ℃ (140℉) water. After boiling water, put the water into Yuzamashi and cool it down to 60 ℃ (140℉).

When using higher temperature of water, the more astringent and bitter come out, while at 60°C, the taste is mainly umami.

Gently pour the water in to Shiboridashi. Steep 2 minutes.

When gently pouring water , the tea leaves will not move much. In this way, you can experience a purer flavor. If the tea leaves are moved a lot, the bitter component will come out.

When water temperature is low, the tea ingredients will come out slowly.

Pour tea into cups.

Pour the tea solution into all cups alternately to equalize the thickness of the tea.

Wait until the last drop goes into the cup. Do not shake the Shiboridashi.

If water is left in Shiboridashi, the tea componets will continue to dissolve in the water, which would adversely affect the taste of the second brew.

It is ready now.

Fill the cups up to 60-70% (in case of sencha cup). This is a Japanese custom, if you fill a guest’s cup over 90%, it is not polite.

For sencond brewing, use hotter water and pour to cup soon (no need to wait).

In the second brew, the tea leaves are already open, so the ingredients come out faster.

Much of umami is extracted in the first brew. Therefore, after the second brewing, hotter (75-90) water is used to extract the astringency, bitterness, freshness (catechins and caffeine), and remaining umami and enjoy the different harmony.

The third brew, use hot water. Wait longer because fewer componets are left in tea leaves.

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This is a tip.

Tea leaves absorb approximately four times as much water as tea leaves.

10-20 ml per person is standard for green tea umami experience in Japan.

Based on this, calculate the amount of tea leaves and water based on the number of guests.