Each person may like different flavors of tea. Some like it strong while some like it sweet and mild. In order to make tea which has a flavor that suits one’s preference, it is important to learn about the nutrients which generate flavors in tea leaves first.
▼ Nutrients which Create Flavor in Tea Leaves
▼ How to Make Tasty Sencha and Fukamushi Sencha
▼ Green Tea and Daily Routine
▼ Japanese Green Tea Drinking and Thai Way of Life
| Type of nutrient | Flavor |
|---|---|
| Catechin group EGC, EC EGCg, ECg |
Astringent and bitter |
| caffeine | Bitter |
| amino acid | Sweet and umami |
| free sugar | Sweet |
| ascorbic acid | Acidic |
| suponins | Astringent |
| pectin | No flavor but helps enhance concentration |
Substances in the catechin group like EGCg and ECg will not dissolve into cool water while EGC, EC and caffeine will dissolve into cool water. When using hot water, every substance in the catechin group and caffeine will dissolve into the water more. EGC and EC will take time to gradually dissolve while caffeine will dissolve quickly. Therefore, tea will become more astringent and bitter when using very hot water or when the tea leaves sit in hot water for a long time. As for the amino acids which give out umami flavor, they will easily dissolve when the tea leaves are put in not-too-hot water briefly. Therefore, if you want tea which is not astringent and bitter but sweet and tasty, you should make tea with hot water at the temperature of lower than 80 degrees Celsius. On the contrary, if you want tea which is more astringent and bitter, you should use hotter water or let the tea leaves sit in the hot water longer
To make tasty tea, the important factors are the amount of water, the amount of tea leaves, the temperature of hot water and the period of time that the tea leaves sit in the hot water. Most importantly, the water should be boiled to get rid of chlorine and to reduce the water hardness.
1 Pour hot water into the cups (120cc. per cup) according to the number of people (after pouring, the water temperature will reduce by 5-10 degrees Celsius).
2 Put 3 teaspoons of tea leaves in the teapot (1 teaspoon of tea per cup).
3 Pour hot water into the teapot. Let it sit for around 1 minute (the water temperature must be around 70-80 degrees Celsius).
4 Pour tea a little bit at a time into the cups in order from 1-2-3 and then pour it back from 3-2-1 to allow every cup to have equally strong and tasty tea until the last drop is poured out.
∴ The amount of tea leaves, the temperature of hot water and the period of time that the hot water is poured into the teapot will affect the dissolving of nutrients in the tea leaves. Therefore, to make tasty tea, you should follow the below methods of tea making:
∴ Using boiled water or water which is hotter than 90 degrees Celsius or letting the tea leaves sit in the tea pot for too long will allow a lot of tannin and caffeine in the tea leaves to dissolve into the water. As a result, the tea will be astringent and bitter.
∴ To make tea for the second time and the third time using the old tea leaves, the water should be hotter than the first time (approximately 90 degrees Celsius). Pour hot water into the teapot and let it sit for 10 seconds. Then, pour the tea into the cups.
∴ One portion of tea leaves can be used 3-4 times to make tea.
How to Make Different Types of Tea
| Sencha/Fukamushi Sencha | Bancha/Hojicha/Genmaicha | |
| Amount of tea (g) | 2-3 g (1 teaspoon)/ cup | 3 g (1 heaped teaspoon)/ cup |
| Water temperature (degree Celsius) | 70-80 | 90 |
| Amount of hot water (ml) | 100-120 | 130-150 |
| Period of tea-making time (second) | 60(1 minute) | 30 |
Choosing to drink green tea in a way that suits daily routine is an important part which will enable to body to gain nutrients from green tea appropriately according to the needs or the conditions of the body.
During working hours, meetings, exam preparation or the time when the brain needs to be stimulated, caffeine in tea will help stimulate the brain and make you awake. During this period, you should drink “Sencha” or “Fukamushi Sencha” which is made with hot water at the temperature of around 90 degrees Celsius. The making of tea using very hot water will allow caffeine to dissolve into the tea. The tea will be bitterer but it will really help wake you up.
When you need to use energy or play any sport which requires a lot of strength, 20-30 minutes before playing the sport or using energy and every 30 minutes during the workout, you should drink “Sencha” or “Fukamushi Sencha” which is made with hot water at the temperature of around 90 degrees Celsius because a lot of caffeine which dissolves into the tea will stimulate the muscles.
When you suffer from a hangover or when you need to recover from a hangover, caffeine will help you get rid of the alcohol that is left in the bloodstream faster. You should drink “Sencha” or “Fukamushi Sencha” which is made with hot water at the temperature of around 90 degrees Celsius. In Japan, people who suffer from a hangover usually drink tea and eat desserts which are filled with ground beans because ground beans have saponin and potassium which enhance the body’s ability to dispose of alcohol.
On an empty stomach or during a meal, you should drink diluted “Hojicha” or “Bancha” or “Sencha” because, when drinking tea which is made with hot water or very concentrate tea on an empty stomach, a lot of caffeine and catechin which dissolve into the tea will irritate the stomach lining.
For those who wish to control cholesterol levels or when they eat high-calorie or high-fat foods, they should drink “Sencha” or “Bancha” which is made with very hot water because catechin which dissolves into the tea will help control cholesterol levels.
When you need to relax or de-stress, you should drink “Sencha” or “Fukamushi Sencha” which is made with not-too-hot water at the temperature of around 60-70 degrees Celsius because theanine which is released from the tea leaves will help brain cells to relax.
For children, old people and those who cannot tolerate caffeine or for bedtime drinking, “Hojicha” is recommended since it is caffeine-free. Another choice is “Bancha” or diluted “Sencha” which have low levels of caffeine.
Many people may think that the making of Japanese green tea is complicated and unrelated to them. They would have to buy a costly teapot or expensive snacks from a famous shop to eat with green tea. There are also many other related ceremonies. The making of Japanese green tea sounds Japanese. It would probably be difficult to apply it in Thailand which is a tropical country. How can we drink hot tea like Japanese people? Moreover, we are so busy with our work every day that we probably have no time to enjoy drinking tea. It’s not unusual that everyone thinks like that... However, a deeper study reveals that Japanese people in the ancient time put an emphasis on living in accordance with nature. Therefore, most of their foods, drinks and items were made from natural materials without modifying them too much. Therefore, they have a specific word to describe the taste of foods and beverages, i.e., “Umami” which means the naturally delicious flavor of ingredients that are used for cooking. Japanese green tea is the same. It focuses on the production to get the natural flavor. Most foods and snacks which are meant to be eaten with green tea are made from home-grown ingredients. The dessert that is mostly eaten with green tea is Mochi which is made of Japanese sticky rice and red beans. It is also possible to have green tea with fermented, boiled or steamed home-grown vegetables or fruits which are picked from one’s own orchard.
The selection of the right snacks or foods to have with each type of green tea plays an important role in enhancing the flavor of green tea or the taste of such foods. Therefore, we would like to recommend different foods to have with different types of green tea as follows:
1 Boiled, steamed and grilled non-spicy foods without strong smell and cooking oil should be had with Sencha or Fukamushi Sencha because these types of tea have naturally sweet taste and nice aroma.
2 Foods that are high in fat and contain oil, milk and/or butter should be had with Bancha, Hojicha or Genmaicha made with hot water at the temperature of 90 degrees Celsius since these types of tea have unique aromas and will help wash off the fat in the throat. So, you will not feel that the foods are too greasy.
3 Spicy foods with strong smell should not be had with green tea since you will not be able to perceive the true flavor and smell of each type of green tea.
4 Sweet Thai desserts such as Thong Yip, Thong Yod and Foi Thong should be had with Sencha, Fukamushi Sencha or Bancha since catechin in green tea will help inhibit the production of amylase so that the body will not digest and absorb too much sugar, which is very suitable for those who like to eat desserts but are afraid of getting fat.
If you know different types of green tea, you will be able to make tasty tea and start to enjoy drinking tea more. It is recommended that you start from making tea using household equipments and having it with Thai natural desserts or foods which will make you enjoy drinking green tea more.
▲ Nutrients which Create Flavor in Tea Leaves
▲ How to Make Tasty Sencha and Fukamushi Sencha
▲ Green Tea and Daily Routine
▲ Japanese Green Tea Drinking and Thai Way of Life
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