I was having a discussion about brewing tea today. One person mentioned a
Chinese tea which was brewed by pouring boiling water over the leaves,
throwing out that water after 30 seconds, then pouring more water over the
leaves and letting it steep, then drinking that second steeping. I replied
that when I was in Japan, a similar tea was prepared the same way, but now I
can't remember what kind of tea it was. I've done a search, and I think it
might have been kukicha. However, I cannot find brewing instructions for
kukicha. Does anyone know how to brew kukicha? Or of any Japanese tea that
is brewed the way I described?

Also, I vaguely recall reading a discussion here of why some teas are
prepared the way I described above. I can't remember the reasons for
throwing out the initial steeping/rinsing (removing astringency?) and can't
find it using google groups. Could someone enlighten me once more?

Thanks!

rona

--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!***

"Daniel" > wrote in message
...
> Hi Rona,
>
> Regarding your latter question, hot water is poured over the tea leaves in
> order to clean and open them up to "release the aroma" of the tea leaves.
> The water should be poured off quickly.
>
> Sometimes the first infusion (after 1-2 minutes of steeping) is poured off
> in order to remove the caffeine level.
>
> Daniel
> http://www.TeaSpring.com
>
>

Thanks, Daniel! One down, one to go!

rona
--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!***

Hi Rona,

Regarding your latter question, hot water is poured over the tea leaves in
order to clean and open them up to "release the aroma" of the tea leaves.
The water should be poured off quickly.

Sometimes the first infusion (after 1-2 minutes of steeping) is poured off
in order to remove the caffeine level.

Daniel
http://www.TeaSpring.com


"Rona Yuthasastrakosol" > wrote in message
...
> I was having a discussion about brewing tea today. One person mentioned a
> Chinese tea which was brewed by pouring boiling water over the leaves,
> throwing out that water after 30 seconds, then pouring more water over the
> leaves and letting it steep, then drinking that second steeping. I
replied
> that when I was in Japan, a similar tea was prepared the same way, but now
I
> can't remember what kind of tea it was. I've done a search, and I think
it
> might have been kukicha. However, I cannot find brewing instructions for
> kukicha. Does anyone know how to brew kukicha? Or of any Japanese tea
that
> is brewed the way I described?
>
> Also, I vaguely recall reading a discussion here of why some teas are
> prepared the way I described above. I can't remember the reasons for
> throwing out the initial steeping/rinsing (removing astringency?) and
can't
> find it using google groups. Could someone enlighten me once more?
>
> Thanks!
>
> rona
>
> --
> ***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!***
>
>

For green kukicha, I usually use about 2 tsp per cup, with water at 170
degrees F (or thereabouts) and brew for a minute to a minute and a half. I
find you can get more infusions from the same leaves when using the 2 tsps.
vs. the usual 1 tsp.

I have also tried the twig only kukicha (a browner cup) and can usually get
a good brew with a 1-2 minute steeping. But generally I prefer the green
kukicha.

Wendi
"Rona Yuthasastrakosol" > wrote in message
...
> I was having a discussion about brewing tea today. One person mentioned a
> Chinese tea which was brewed by pouring boiling water over the leaves,
> throwing out that water after 30 seconds, then pouring more water over the
> leaves and letting it steep, then drinking that second steeping. I
replied
> that when I was in Japan, a similar tea was prepared the same way, but now
I
> can't remember what kind of tea it was. I've done a search, and I think
it
> might have been kukicha. However, I cannot find brewing instructions for
> kukicha. Does anyone know how to brew kukicha? Or of any Japanese tea
that
> is brewed the way I described?
>
> Also, I vaguely recall reading a discussion here of why some teas are
> prepared the way I described above. I can't remember the reasons for
> throwing out the initial steeping/rinsing (removing astringency?) and
can't
> find it using google groups. Could someone enlighten me once more?
>
> Thanks!
>
> rona
>
> --
> ***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!***
>
>

"Wendi" > wrote in message
...
> For green kukicha, I usually use about 2 tsp per cup, with water at 170
> degrees F (or thereabouts) and brew for a minute to a minute and a half. I
> find you can get more infusions from the same leaves when using the 2
tsps.
> vs. the usual 1 tsp.
>
> I have also tried the twig only kukicha (a browner cup) and can usually
get
> a good brew with a 1-2 minute steeping. But generally I prefer the green
> kukicha.
>

Thanks. Do you "rinse" them first? Or just brew them straight?

Someone else explained to me that kukicha, genmaicha, and sencha are the
three Japanese teas that are traditionally rinsed. However, kukicha is the
only one that most Japanese people will rinse, the others are often brewed
straight.

rona
--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!***

Rona Yuthasastrakosol wrote:
>
> Someone else explained to me that kukicha, genmaicha, and sencha are the
> three Japanese teas that are traditionally rinsed. However, kukicha is the
> only one that most Japanese people will rinse, the others are often brewed
> straight.

Traditionally rinsed? I'm not so sure about that. Japanese rarely ever
rinse any teas.

--crymad

"crymad" > wrote in message
...
>
>
>
> Traditionally rinsed? I'm not so sure about that. Japanese rarely ever
> rinse any teas.
>
> --crymad

As I said, kukicha is usually rinsed. Even my co-workers, who were
generally very busy, would take the time to rinse kukicha when making it. I
remember it distinctly because it was my first experience with rinsing teas.
They did not do the same with genmaicha and sencha, though two people I have
asked (one native Japanese, one ex-pat American living in Japan) have
confirmed that these two teas are traditionally rinsed, though few actually
do it.

Just out of curiousity, why would you think they rarely rinse teas in Japan?
Personal experience or research? (not being snotty, I'm just wondering why
we have had different experiences)

rona

Rona Yuthasastrakosol wrote:
>
> "crymad" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> >
> >
> > Traditionally rinsed? I'm not so sure about that. Japanese rarely ever
> > rinse any teas.
> >
> > --crymad
>
> As I said, kukicha is usually rinsed. Even my co-workers, who were
> generally very busy, would take the time to rinse kukicha when making it. I
> remember it distinctly because it was my first experience with rinsing teas.

This just simply isn't the case. While rinsing kukicha wouldn't strike
me as odd -- it is just twigs, after all -- doing so is by no means the
norm. Here's a web site of a tea producer in Japan that shows the
brewing process for various teas:

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/akiyamaen/415309/433455/

Kukicha is the fourth one down on the list. Very straightforward
preparation: Tea in pot, add hot water, wait, and pour into cups. No
rinsing to speak of. An even more detailed description for preparing
kukicha can be found here, again with no mention of rinsing:

http://www.rakuten.ne.jp/gold/cha1/f...kata/kuki.html

Pre-heating the tea pot and tossing out the water before adding dry tea
is very common. Perhaps you are confusing this pot warming with tea
rinsing.

> They did not do the same with genmaicha and sencha, though two people I have
> asked (one native Japanese, one ex-pat American living in Japan) have
> confirmed that these two teas are traditionally rinsed, though few actually
> do it.

What do you mean by "traditionally"? Sencha has a ceremonial
preparation, much like the more well known matcha, and while many
schools of this ceremony exist, rinsing the tea is again not a standard
step. Quite frankly, the only references to rinsing tea in Japan that I
am aware of involve Oolong or "black" teas from China. However, if know
of any sources -- online or in print -- that mention this traditional
rinsing of Japanese teas you speak of, please provide them.


> Just out of curiousity, why would you think they rarely rinse teas in Japan?
> Personal experience or research? (not being snotty, I'm just wondering why
> we have had different experiences)

I lived in Japan with my native Japanese wife for about 10 years. We
managed a business that sold Japanese foodstuffs, tea included. In
fact, one of our regular customers was a restaurant owner who bought
large quantities of kukicha every week. She never rinsed, by the way.

So, have you any firsthand experience with tea in Japan?

--crymad

crymad > writes:

> Rona Yuthasastrakosol wrote:
> >
> > [...kukicha is usually rinsed...]
>
> This just simply isn't the case. While rinsing kukicha wouldn't strike
> me as odd -- it is just twigs, after all -- doing so is by no means the
> norm.

Sorry, but it isn't necessarily just twigs. I've certainly seen
kukicha that's just twigs, but I've also seen (and enjoyed) kukicha
that's twigs plus good leaves. Either there are (at least) two styles
of kukicha or I've been hallucinating.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

Lewis Perin wrote:
>
> crymad > writes:
>
> > Rona Yuthasastrakosol wrote:
> > >
> > > [...kukicha is usually rinsed...]
> >
> > This just simply isn't the case. While rinsing kukicha wouldn't strike
> > me as odd -- it is just twigs, after all -- doing so is by no means the
> > norm.
>
> Sorry, but it isn't necessarily just twigs. I've certainly seen
> kukicha that's just twigs, but I've also seen (and enjoyed) kukicha
> that's twigs plus good leaves. Either there are (at least) two styles
> of kukicha or I've been hallucinating.

No, you are right, of course. "Kuki" means "twig, stem", and I was just
trying to describe this tea for those who may not be familiar with it.
Sorry for the mis-statement.

--crymad