I find that for me there are three types of sencha's those I like with 1
tsp. per 6oz. cup for around 1:30-2:00 minutes and those I like with 2 tsp.
per 6oz. cup for approximately 45 seconds to one minute, and those I just
don't like. For me the better, more expensive sencha's usually fall into
the 2 tsp, 1 min. catagory. Water usually around 140-160 degrees F.
Usually around 150.


Blues

I find that for me there are three types of sencha's those I like with 1
tsp. per 6oz. cup for around 1:30-2:00 minutes and those I like with 2 tsp.
per 6oz. cup for approximately 45 seconds to one minute, and those I just
don't like. For me the better, more expensive sencha's usually fall into
the 2 tsp, 1 min. catagory. Water usually around 140-160 degrees F.
Usually around 150.


Blues

I find that for me there are three types of sencha's those I like with 1
tsp. per 6oz. cup for around 1:30-2:00 minutes and those I like with 2 tsp.
per 6oz. cup for approximately 45 seconds to one minute, and those I just
don't like. For me the better, more expensive sencha's usually fall into
the 2 tsp, 1 min. catagory. Water usually around 140-160 degrees F.
Usually around 150.


Blues

I am glad you were able to get your diabetic father to try green tea.
I wish i could get mine to. Green tea is definitely the national drink
of Japan and for many years was not exactly thought of as something
you go out and pay money for, but was always around. It is a very
healthy beverage because of it's lack of sugar and simplicity. How
perfect, a leaf and boiling water.

Here in Japan Sencha makes up about 80% of the green tea that Japanese
people consume. Every region has their own famous teas. It is better
to think of each as a regional specialty, with the flavor of the very
soil in each cup, like Idaho potatoes or Wisconsin cheese have
regional flavor.

It is said in Japanese that Sayama tea (from Saitama prefecture, just
north of Tokyo) has the best flavor, Uji tea (from southern Kyoto) has
the best color, and Shizuoka tea has the best fragrance. Shizuoka
(south west of Mt. Fuji and Tokyo) is by far the largest tea producing
region in Japan. There are many other famous area from southern Kyushu
all the way to Tohoku. Each has their own characteristics.

The tricky part is every region has its own characteristics. On top of
that, every region has several kinds of tea, for example, Kyoto is
famous for Uji tea (tea from the Uji region). These leaves are made
into sencha, bancha, matcha, etc. The list goes on, although those are
probably the 3 most popular kyoto Uji-cha varieties. Each is to be
made with a different type of pot and under different steeping times,
etc. It's best to buy a book, but most are not in English I would
guess. Maybe I should translate one or two. That might be fun,
actually, and enlightening for me.

The health benefits go without saying, no medical study required to
know that Japanese people have basically breathed tea for several
hundred years and that they have had some of the longest lifespans of
all humans.

Drinking tea from an appropriate cup makes the experience that much
more fun and probably makes it taste better (some psychosematic sort
of thing).

Enough rambling. If you ever get the chance come here and check out
the tea. It's everywhere.

Rufus T. Firefly

I am glad you were able to get your diabetic father to try green tea.
I wish i could get mine to. Green tea is definitely the national drink
of Japan and for many years was not exactly thought of as something
you go out and pay money for, but was always around. It is a very
healthy beverage because of it's lack of sugar and simplicity. How
perfect, a leaf and boiling water.

Here in Japan Sencha makes up about 80% of the green tea that Japanese
people consume. Every region has their own famous teas. It is better
to think of each as a regional specialty, with the flavor of the very
soil in each cup, like Idaho potatoes or Wisconsin cheese have
regional flavor.

It is said in Japanese that Sayama tea (from Saitama prefecture, just
north of Tokyo) has the best flavor, Uji tea (from southern Kyoto) has
the best color, and Shizuoka tea has the best fragrance. Shizuoka
(south west of Mt. Fuji and Tokyo) is by far the largest tea producing
region in Japan. There are many other famous area from southern Kyushu
all the way to Tohoku. Each has their own characteristics.

The tricky part is every region has its own characteristics. On top of
that, every region has several kinds of tea, for example, Kyoto is
famous for Uji tea (tea from the Uji region). These leaves are made
into sencha, bancha, matcha, etc. The list goes on, although those are
probably the 3 most popular kyoto Uji-cha varieties. Each is to be
made with a different type of pot and under different steeping times,
etc. It's best to buy a book, but most are not in English I would
guess. Maybe I should translate one or two. That might be fun,
actually, and enlightening for me.

The health benefits go without saying, no medical study required to
know that Japanese people have basically breathed tea for several
hundred years and that they have had some of the longest lifespans of
all humans.

Drinking tea from an appropriate cup makes the experience that much
more fun and probably makes it taste better (some psychosematic sort
of thing).

Enough rambling. If you ever get the chance come here and check out
the tea. It's everywhere.

Rufus T. Firefly