I had the privilege to have repeatedly gotten served green tea in the ceremonial way by my trainer and mentor, who was Japanese. For that, the powder form of the tea is used, completly pulverised, and then a bamboo brush used to shake it in the water.

It tastes completely different. And if I am honest: not necessarily better.

Also one thing you should know: the real premium quality of the yearly tea harvest never leaves the country, but is exclusively for the national market. If you have the chance to order it via a friend you have in Japan, or stay there yourself, go for these teas, if you can. What they bring to the European and American market, is ALWAYS just second choice, no matter what they tell you in the tea shop.

Maybe you cannot get access to these. But at least you can stay away from teabags and tea with added aromes.

My brother has recently moved to Japan, possibly permanently. I'll be sure to ask him to send me some once he settles in a little bit :)

That applies to a LOT of things about Japan by the way. Many Japanese foods, from sushi to ramen, really do need to be experienced in Japan to be properly appreciated. Both because of what they save for the market, and because of the differences between the 'dumbed down' exported flavours/preparation methods and original domestic cuisine.

You can still get a lot of good tea of all sorts anywhere, though, just maybe not quite as top-notch.

So I guess instant is right out then? :O:

Heheh.

It's like coffee. I buy small amounts of beans at a time, usually the day, or at most the day after they are roasted. I consume them within 2-3 days. They are ground instantly before brewing (I have a full-auto espresso machine), and I do not even load the bean hopper, I keep it in sealed baggies, and dump just enough for the coffee I will be making (2-4 cups worth).

Bagged tea is like preground coffee. If you get high-end bags, it's "acceptable," but just barely. Like coffee, it's probably fine if you put crap IN your tea or coffee (milk, sugar, etc). In that case, it's sort of a waste to bother with better tea as you are ruining it, anyway (if you load coffee with cream and sugar, you might as well make folgers, IMO).

I like some "adulterated" teas, however. I like genmai cha (has some toasted rice in it). I like masala chai as well sometimes---but it's not made with "champagne" tea, it's cheap black tea boiled with milk, sugar, and spices al together. Gotta love places like starbucks calling masala chai "chai tea." Chai means "tea." Maybe they should sell café coffee?

I have to agree with Ducimus on green tea being big with the hipsters.
I do sometimes drink it though not from Starbucks I have never set foot inside a Starbucks in my life and do not plan to.I got introduced to green tea by this Japanese engineer that was an adviser for Mitsubishi ship building that was helping set up some machinery at my uncles machine shop so they could make parts for Mitsubishi.I thought it was pretty good and I also have to use much less sugar for green tea than I do for other types of tea so I would say that is a good thing.That engineer also got me hooked on Japanese candy.

Sugar?

Dunno about hipsters, I don't think I rate as very hip (nor have I ever).

I'm just drinking the collared greens in hopes of getting well faster. Day 3, making headway into the realm of wellness. Green tea a contributor? Jury is out. But, it helps sooth the sore throat. So, I can say hot water, flavored or not, helps. :hmmm: Now, what of these free radicals? They are ruining the country. No...wait... :O:

Just one advise when it comes to tea... dont buy the 99c stuff, its practically poison or just flavour. Spend some more, buy the good stuff and enjoy good tea.

It won`t make you fly, but it is surely one of the most healthy things to drink...

One last advice that really can make a very huge difference for tea, depending on the water quality you have: use a water-filter. In Germany, water quality varies regarding the ammount of lime (you call it that in English? Kalk?). But you do not want "hard" water with lots of lime in it, you want "soft" water without lime. It influences tea severely, especially tea that is not really strong in taste but depends on more subtle aromes.

Also, I was told that compared to over here the water in other countries like America gets added plenty of chlorine, more than we use here. Obviously this has a strong effect on water taste. In the 80s my father'S orchestra had a tour in the US, and he said that on various stays he and colleagues refused to drink water from the pipes as served for free in restaurants - a habit not present in Germany, over here you always and exclusively get bottled, sparkling water - for it smelled and tasted like water in a swimming bassin, very intense in chlorine, and for their European-German tongues it was simply inedible. Different places, different habits.

Anyway, use a water filter, it helps against both lime and chlorine. It also prevents your water cooker from getting covered with lime. The absence of the taste from chlorine, and the "softer" water make a very huge difference. I have relatively "hard" water in my household, so I compared it directly. I don'T brew tea without filtered water anymore.

Coffee is too robust and too intense in heavy tastes as if it is so obvious there.

I believe the suggestion to boil the tea comes from wanting to kill any bacteria on the tea.

I know sun tea can be poisonous if left for too long as the water never gets hot enough to kill the bacteria in the water and on the tea.

For those who are not familiar with sun tea, it's the process of putting tea leaves/bags in a glass container with the water, and leaving it outside during the hot parts of the day to "brew" the tea. It brews the tea without using any energy(well energy that you get billed for, as sun light is free(for now)). The only draw back is that the tea needs to be refrigerated after two hours, and thrown away at the end of the day.



I also enjoy Japanese green tea, and I've been drinking it before it was "cool" (That's a jab at hipsters who do things "Before they were cool")

While it may not be the most traditional way I do enjoy getting my cup of Hot Green Tea with my meal at my local Hibachi Steak House(Aptly named Samurai). I prefer drinking it without sugar.

As for the whole coffee or tea thing, I'll always prefer tea of any kind(with or without sugar).

Yes, it is 'hard' water and 'lime' as you stated. Many here use the bottled/filtered spring water. There is not only a concentrate of chlorine but fluoride as well. Water quality/taste can be prevalent and not always pleasant. However, I don't look at a gift horse in the mouth. The clean water on tap is something that many in the world do not enjoy on a regular basis if at all.

Yes, sure, and as I said: I think for a more robust drink like coffee or espresso it makes little difference (at least my tongue cannot tell it). But tea like this is subtle, and if you can choose between waters, make use of that option, and use the better one.

Got curious and googled a bit about Green Tea, and found this. Beware, it is for German speakers only! Very interesting, did not know most of that stuff. I knew the difference between Sencha and Gyokuro, but the rest I did not know.

The author, a Japanese, says that using sugar or milk or added aromes in Green Tea for Japanese is what for a lover of precious, good wine would be if somebody mixes expensive wine with cola or rum.

If you have the choice, get the Gyokuro. It is slightly milder, slightly "sweeter", and not as "bitter" as Sencha. But the brewing water needs to be relatively "cold". 60°C says the article above. Gyokuro is slightly more expensive, and could be considered as the more precious, "better" tea.

I did not read the entire article but we can say with certainty tea is taken very seriously in these two cultures.

Yep I put sugar in tea because that is what I like to do I have a sweet tooth I suppose although I have had green tea without it as well and I like the taste "clean" where as with other
teas I don't.I also do not drink coffee so that has an effect of my palate as well.I tried it once not long after joining the military because almost everyone in the military seems to drink coffee
but I never liked the taste.

I think that hipsters are the ones that think things need to be "hip" the green tea I assume you where referring to.I heard some friend of mine say that hipsters like Pabts Blue Ribbon because it is a "working class beer" what ever that means which makes no sense because if you walk into bar frequented by say mill workers they will more likely be drinking Budweiser or Jack Daniels which shows that hipsters are just getting fooled by companies that have decided to target hipsters but I suppose that is hip as well.