How do you usually brew your sencha? I have a consistency problem

Non-oxidized tea
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JCMS
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Sat Mar 06, 2021 2:17 pm

Hello everyone, I am new here!

I've been drinking tea for a few years now but I just recently expanded my green tea sourcing. I've always had consistency issue brewing japanese greens and I'd like to get some feedback.

To start, I usually get my stuff from Camelia-Sinensis. I mainly use their Senchado technique and it usually works, albeit with tweaking needed for every tea. However, with teas not from them, it usually leads to disastrous results. They suggest this technique for both their Sencha and Gyokuro (albeit more leafs & lower for gyokuros). It usually is as follow

1) 0.75~1 tea spoon per 125mL.
2) 75~80C water
3) 25~45 seconds for the first brew

I recently got a sample of their Gyokuro Shuin . For it, I decided to follow Gyokuro instructions I found online. I went with this one which is 1g/30mL + 60C water for ~2 minutes on the first brew. It worked wonderfuly. Tea was amazing, tasted exactly how it smelled and I got at least 6 brews from it. I just knew I got right, you know? I really regret not taking note of the exact thing I did back then.

I recently ordered from Ikkyu-Tea this set. I tried the same technique on hte Gyokuro and it got really bitter. I retried using the technique they suggest on their website and it tasted even worst. Like if I got grass from my backward, poured water on it and pass it to the magic bullet. The technique they use is 8g + 40mL @ 40C for 2 minutes.

My first question is about the quantities - grams versus teaspoon. I think this is a great source of messing up for me :? :cry:
Most Japanese / European website I came across will give 1 teaspoon = 4g equivalent for japanese greens. I'm not sure what kind of "teaspoon" they have over there, but there's no way a US teaspoon can hold 4g of japanese green. I'm getting roughly 1.7~2.3g on my scale depending on my tea. I got their spoon from Ikkyu which they say can hold 5g. Same thing, that spoon can safely handle maximum 1.8~2.5g of greens depending on their cut.

So, long story short :D I'm interested to know what are people's go-to way of brewing so I can experience more.
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debunix
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Sat Mar 06, 2021 2:54 pm

I think I have gradually increased the quantity of leaf I use in my 150mL pot for my sencha, but I no longer measure it. I always have a small pitcher or teapot of cool water nearby. I start with water about 160-170 F/70-78 C, infuse about a minute, and pour it out into my cup. And I taste it. If it was a bit too strong, I dilute a bit with more hot water from the kettle, or maybe if I am thirsty and want to gulp a bit, I add cool water from the pitcher. If it is a little light, I usually drink it and adjust the next infusions longer.

2nd infusion is very short, maybe 30 seconds, and I do not reheat the kettle but use the naturally 10-20 degree cooler water.

3rd infusion is longer again, 1-2 minute (length depends on how strong I want it to be).

I increase temp by 10-15 F/7-10 C and maybe time a bit also (30-60 seconds longer each time) with the 4th infusion and up. Last infusion is usually boiling water and then I leave the pot for the rest of the day or even overnight, and I enjoy that last cool infusion, again diluting if it was a bit strong.

So my version of less fuss about the details is to be comfortable with adjusting *in the cup* as needed.
faj
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Sat Mar 06, 2021 3:23 pm

JCMS wrote:
Sat Mar 06, 2021 2:17 pm
I'm getting roughly 1.7~2.3g on my scale depending on my tea.
I am getting 4g on my scale within a few hundreds of a gram, every time. This is because I do away with the spoon and trust the scale. :)

Measuring tea by volume is inherently less precise, but absolute precision is not a requirement. Some people find using a scale is a bother and prefer eyeballing it, but others (including me) use a scale for some or all of their teas. There is no right or wrong way to do it, as long as you are satisfied with the results.

If you prefer using a spoon, I would suggest the most important thing for you to understand is not how many grams fit in a spoon, but rather how many spoons are required to get you the results you prefer in the cup. Some like their tea with less leaf, some with more, there is no hard rule.
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Baisao
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Sat Mar 06, 2021 8:11 pm

@JCMS - I definitely recommend getting a digital scale. The variance between volume and weight can be pretty large with sencha and gyokuro. Even with something as consistent as rolled oolong, the variance between what you think is n grams and what it actually is can be surprising. Fortunately, these oolongs are more forgiving than sencha and gyokuro.
I retried using the technique they suggest on their website and it tasted even worst. Like if I got grass from my backward, poured water on it and pass it to the magic bullet. The technique they use is 8g + 40mL @ 40C for 2 minutes.
That’s a not unheard of proportion, but it is double the traditional ration of leaf to water (1g/10ml). Even the traditional gyokuro parameters can be difficult for a non-Japanese palate. It is viscous, tastes like kombu broth, and can be almost herbal. It is my opinion that greater leaf to water ratios (like, 2g/10ml) were/are a form of status signaling because the cost of the tea is so expensive.

For sencha I like to brew 70-100ml at a time. I use 4 grams and brew between 60-80° for the following seconds per steep (approximately): 60-75s/15s/50s/95s. Again, the timing and temperatures are approximate but when measured with a stopwatch and thermometer do seem to brew a nice thick cup of sencha.

Lastly, some people like their Japanese teas on the weaker, less thick side. I think that’s fine. In another recent post I compared this to the dynamic range of photography and audio. Some people like a brew with more contrast and others like it opened up. As the tea brewer it is up to you to control that dynamic range.
JCMS
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Thu Mar 11, 2021 6:39 pm

Thanks for the input.

I'm getting better with practice :D
Pan
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Fri Mar 12, 2021 12:29 am

I usually brew mine in a yamada sou kyusu with around say 10grams and 50ml of water that is either 50-60 degrees celclius. I let it sit for 1-2 minutes first infusion for the first flush of flavors to come out. I use the leaves after that with a mixture of fish sauce and grilled pork for a wonderful Nam Tok :)

Im quite an amateur so I dont keep record of what I do, however its pretty good for me.
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Baisao
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Sat Mar 13, 2021 3:36 am

L.S.G.artapprentice wrote:
Fri Mar 12, 2021 12:29 am
I usually brew mine in a yamada sou kyusu with around say 10grams and 50ml of water that is either 50-60 degrees celclius. I let it sit for 1-2 minutes first infusion for the first flush of flavors to come out. I use the leaves after that with a mixture of fish sauce and grilled pork for a wonderful Nam Tok :)

Im quite an amateur so I dont keep record of what I do, however its pretty good for me.
To be clear for neophytes that may see that post, those are parameters for gyokuro not sencha.
Pan
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Sat Mar 13, 2021 7:47 pm

Baisao wrote:
Sat Mar 13, 2021 3:36 am
To be clear for neophytes that may see that post, those are parameters for gyokuro not sencha.
doh! yes they are however for my Gyokuro for first infusion I do 3 minutes because the flavor profile is a bit weak at first with just a minute or two.
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