Green tea and sweets
Green tea and sweets – a perfect pair for everyday life-
Hi. I’m Yukako who lives in the northern part of Europe, and teaches and tells people about Japanese traditional culture such as tea ceremony, kimono, etc. offline and online.
Do you know green tea? Now people all over the world are more interested in this tea. It contains a lot of vitamins and micro nutrients. Even it has a caffeine, it’s lighter than ones in a coffee. Some use it as a wake-up drink. Not only these effects, because of its bitterness, green teas also go with something sweet, especially Japanese sweets. These sweets are called “o-cha-uke” in Japanese.
How to infuse the real flavor of green tea
Place tea leaves in a teapot, and pour in enough hot water for a cup. Leave it for a couple of minutes. The first cup is rich in fragrance.
Once serving the first cup, pour the same amount of water again. This will be the second cup. It has sweeter taste than previous.
Again pour the same amount of water, it will be the third and the last one. Tea leaves completely open in a cup and enhance the taste.
Water for green tea is recommended to use about 80 Celsius degree, so first bring it boiled, then allow it to cool down until that temperature. However, you may use a large tea pot and make more cups of tea at a time.
People in Japan drink chilled green tea during hot days in summer. After infusing green tea flavor with hot water, chill it and serve it with ice. People would appreciate your “fine” Japanese style behavior!