GYOKURO, KABUSECHA, AND PREMIUM GREEN TEAS![]()
Shaded teas, like gyokuro and kabusecha, and other premium green teas are often characterized by rich umami notes, sweetness, and vibrant flavors. Steeping at lower temperatures allows these flavors infuse into the water slowly without the more bitter flavors that are extracted in higher temperatures interfering.
SENCHA
When brewing sencha it is often preferred to extract both the creamy umami notes as well as a hint of refreshing bitterness for balance. For this selecting a temperature around 70-80C will usually create a delicious steeping of tea. Keeping the steeping time to around one minute is also recommended as longer time will allow excessive bitterness to be extracted from the leaves.
Hojicha, Genmaicha, and Bancha
Hojicha, bancha, and genmaicha are often made from larger tea leaves which tend to extract more slowly. Therefore, using a slightly higher temperature than with sencha is often appropriate. However, as these three tea types have a wide variety of teas included in them it is recommended to also test with different temperatures, amounts, and brewing times to find your perfect brewing method.
Black Tea and Oolong
Teas like black tea and oolong tea usually produce the best results when brewed for multiple minutes in higher temperatures, as this allows the flavor profile to be extracted more fully. You can experiment with different temperatures and brewing times to see which combination produces your favorite steeping.
