Some people think that good tea is herbal, freshly picked in the garden, some - that the only true tea is black, with sugar and / or milk. This is not the case with Japanese tea. There is no place for sugar or rush. Japanese tea culture is unlike any other.

Japanese tea ceremonies last from 1.5 to 5 hours. And many still embark on this journey with great respect for tea and the masters of the ceremony who have been perfecting their art all their life.

Of course, not all Japanese people do ceremonies these days, but almost everyone drinks tea several times a day every day. The tradition of tea drinking was brought to Japan by monks who studied in China around the 9th century. Three centuries later, the first tea plantations appeared in the Land of the Rising Sun.

On the one hand, everything is straightforward with Japanese tea: basically, it is green tea. On the other hand, there are specific subtypes (or genres) of Japanese tea, and many ways of growing, producing and brewing each type. Let&#39;s try to figure it out.

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Text: Signe Meirane

Photo: Andrey Nikiforov, Vladislav Surics, MEDUZA events

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Matcha. Due to the high popularity of the Matcha latte drink in Europe not everyone knows that this tea comes from Japan. The drink is delicious when prepared correctly, but it is not the same as Matcha tea. To brew Matcha in powder, the water must be heated to no more than 80 degrees Celsius. Use a carved bamboo spoon (chashaku) to place a bean-sized amount of powder in the chawan in which you will serve it. Then add a little water and stir with a bamboo whisk (chasen) until it turns into a lump-free paste. By producing a paste first, you will destroy all lumps. By doing so, even an amateur will be able to prepare a smooth and delicious Matcha successfully. Add the rest of water, whisk until a fine form appears. This, of course, is not a tea ceremony, but this is what the ritual looks like, allowing you to feel the real taste of Matcha at home. By the way, this tea does not only possess a lot of health benefits, but also gives you more energy for a longer period than coffee.

Matcha grows in the shade, the bushes are often covered with straw and reed to protect them from direct sunlight, so the tea acquires special flavours, in particular, &quot;umami&quot; - the mysterious fifth taste that the whole world adores.

Sencha (70% of all tea coming from Japan) is another type of tea that is found in the daily diet of many people. Its colour ranges from straw, yellow and clear to dark green. Sencha is the most popular tea in Japan and is usually made from fine needle-like leaves that have a vegan flavour. But Sencha is &#39;vegetables&#39; from a Michelin-starred restaurant, not from a school cafeteria. Sencha tea is harvested twice a year: the most abundant and most valuable harvest is the May one, especially if it is brewed in a teapot called kyusu.

When tasting, Sencha can taste very different depending on how it is prepared but is invariably unique. The bottom leaves of third and fourth harvest grown in conditions similar to Sencha is Bancha tea, which has less caffeine.

Hojicha. It is a popular type of roasted Japanese green tea (usually Bancha) with a high fragrant and low caffeine level.

Genmaicha is a blend of Bancha (or Sencha) with well-toasted brown rice (Genmai).

If you are not Japanese, then there are three options: you will either fall in love with it immediately, or will immediately hate it, or you will fall in love with it slowly and gradually. As for the Japanese, they drink it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, young and old.

Gyokuro (Japanese for &quot;dew drop&quot;) has a bright green colour and taste with subtones of umami and dried seaweed. This tea is of the highest quality and is drunk from small cups and less often than other teas. The taste of Gyokuro is unlike anything else - strong and rich, but clean, with no bitterness.

A couple of words about Umami. Umami is the fifth taste, joining sweet, sour, salty and bitter. These are unique tastes that cannot be created by mixing other tastes, and are known as the basic, or primary tastes. Umami is a general term used mainly for substances combining the amino acid glutamate, and/or the nucleotides inosinate and guanylate, with minerals such as sodium and potassium. Note: astringent and bitter umami components, such as catechins and caffeine dissolve quickly when the water temperature rises. Brewing with water at a lower temperature promotes the development of the umami flavour without astringency and bitterness.

In order to fully enjoy the taste of a tea, there are many aspects to consider when brewing:

<ul>
	<li style="text-align:justify">Choose good quality tea, don&#39;t opt for cheap versions;</li>
	<li style="text-align:justify">Water temperature is of great importance for brewing. Wrong temperature can completely ruin the most sophisticated taste. For brewing Sencha, a temperature of 70 degrees Celsius is required, for Hojicha and Genmaicha - from 70 to 100 degrees, for Gyokuro - 40-60 degrees, for Matcha - 80 degrees.</li>
	<li style="text-align:justify">The proportion of water to the tea is also very important: for Sencha - 60 ml per 2 g (for 1 person), Hojicha - 8 g per 450 ml, for Gyokuro - 10 g per 100 ml, for Matcha - 2 g per 60 ml.</li>
	<li style="text-align:justify">Another way to completely ruin the best tea is to brew it for too long. Sencha needs 1 minute, Hojicha only 30 seconds, Gyokuro 2 minutes. But do not pour out the tea after the first brew, as you can brew it twice more at the same water temperature.</li>
</ul>

Matcha has already gained a solid reputation as one of the most fashionable and delicious teas, used not only as a drink, but also as a component of a wide variety of dishes. What about other Japanese teas? Here&#39;s a hint: Hojicha also does an excellent job in this. Try using this tea as an addition to tiramisu, creme brulee, or panna cotta. Or, for example, for making American pound cake or other baked goods. And even when smoking trout!

Let&#39;s not forget that Japanese tea is very healthy. It is not for nothing that the Japanese are champions in longevity, which is due, among other things, to the many substances contained in the tea they drink daily. Japanese teas ...

<ul>
	<li>help to relax - thanks to theanine;</li>
	<li>act as a mental and muscle stimulant (brew Sencha with water heated to 90 degrees and drink before work or 20 minutes before training);</li>
	<li>fight colds thanks to catechins;</li>
	<li>help to digest fatty and high-calorie foods;</li>
	<li>reduce the level of &quot;bad&quot; cholesterol in the blood;</li>
	<li>help with intoxication (during pregnancy and after drinking alcohol);</li>
	<li>relieve drowsiness when needed.</li>
</ul>

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1. Kyo-no-Yuki-Ryokucha (Organic Japanese Tea) (UJINOTSUYU SEICHA Co., Ltd.) 2. M Sencha Tea Bags (UJINOTSUYU SEICHA Co., Ltd.) 3. M Genmaicha Tea Bags (UJINOTSUYU SEICHA Co., Ltd.) 4. M Hojicha Tea Bags (UJINOTSUYU SEICHA Co., Ltd.) 5. M Matcha (UJINOTSUYU SEICHA Co., Ltd.). 6. Green Tea Powder stick (Shokakuen Co. Ltd.) 7. Lightly oxidized Sayama tea &laquo;Kohaku&raquo; (Bizenya Co., Ltd.) 8. Sayama white tea &laquo;Haru&raquo; (Bizenya Co., Ltd.) 9. Mie Matcha Kiwami (Red Label) (M&icirc;T&Eacute; Co., Ltd.) 10. M&icirc;T&Eacute; Matcha (Green Label) (M&icirc;T&Eacute; Co., Ltd.) 11. Handpicked Sayama Sencha &laquo;Shimizumukashi&raquo;(Bizenya Co., Ltd.) 12. TEAET Flavoured green tea with Osumi Yuzu (Wakohen Co., Ltd.) 13. TEAET Flavoured green tea with Osumi Rose (Wakohen Co., Ltd.) 14. Pesticide-free Mulberry Matcha (OISHI TEA FACTORY Co., Ltd.) 15. Organic Sencha stick (Matsushita Tea Garden) 16. Organic Matcha (Matsushita Tea Garden) 17. Organic Matcha stick (Matsushita Tea Garden) 18. Hojicha, Organic Roasted Tea (Matsushita Tea Garden) 19. Ceremonial Organic Matcha (The AOI Tea Company) 20. Organic Matcha (Yabuzakien Co.,Ltd.) 21. Rich Grand Matcha Latte (Yabuzakien Co.,Ltd.) 22. Tea Expert Series: Gyokuro Master Tea (Yabuzakien Co.,Ltd.) 23.&ndash;25. Asahina Matcha (Yabuzakien Co.,Ltd.)

Members of the L&#39;Officiel Baltic editorial board were pleased to taste different types of Japanese tea in different versions of its preparation. For tasting were presented: green tea Matcha (including organic and with the yuzu peel), Sencha (organic, regular, in powder and with yuzu), roasted green tea Hojicha (including organic and organic in powder), green tea with roasted rice Genmaicha. They are pleased to share their experience of tea from the Land of the Rising Sun.

Liga Zemture, chief editor of the L&#39;Officiel Baltic / L&#39;Officiel Latvija magazines and lofficielbaltics.com:

Tested all 4 types of Japanese teas. The biggest surprise for me was how different the taste of the same tea differs depending on the preparation method. For example, one of my favorites was Osumi Yuzu Sencha, not hot, but made hot, but with the addition of cold sparkling water - a fantastically refreshing drink with a summer taste that looks as if there were small pieces of gold in it. Likewise, I didn&#39;t particularily like the chilled version of Hojicha with milk, but after trying the warm version, I asked for a second serving. Genmaicha was served one way, and it turned out to be the closest to the teas that I order when I eat sushi. I would especially like to highlight all types of Matcha tea - it seems that it is it, invigorating, really tasty and with great health benefits, that will be a good alternative to my usual morning ritual with jasmine tea. The version of this tea I like best is with milk, this drink is known to us as Matcha Latte. At the tasting I learned the recipe for the preparation: 6 g of Matcha, 200 ml of milk, about 2 teaspoons of honey. The most convenient way to prepare this drink is in a blender.

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Dace Krievina-Bachmane, stylist of L&#39;Officiel Baltic / L&#39;Officiel Latvija:

The combination of Hojicha tea with milk seemed very peculiar to me - something reminding of cocoa, and something tasting of woody notes. However, I really liked the hot Hojicha! I can definitely name &ldquo;Matcha Latte&rdquo; as one of my favorites - a very small amount was enough for me to feel exceptionalle cheerful. I also liked Genmaicha, very interesting taste. Dry roasted rice flavoured drink was unusual, but I liked it. Sencha with sparkling water tasted too exotic to me, but I fully admit that someone else&#39;s taste buds would just be delighted with it!

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Natalia Abramova, board member of the Premium Media publishing house:

I was very glad to discover the world of Japanese tea - as exotic and amazing as the Land of the Rising Sun itself. During the tasting, I decided on my top 3. My main favourite is Hojicha, but not in the version with milk, but in the traditional, warm one. My second favourite is warm Sencha - a pleasant classic, and also with sparkling water - a light and unexpected taste. Genmaicha, which combines the flavour of green tea and the aroma of roasted brown rice, completes my top - it&#39;s somewhat unusual, but certainly interesting. As for the Matcha tea, at first glance, it seemed to me herbal, but I will definitely continue to discover it further. I allow the possibility of its taste opening up to me from an unexpected side.

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Signe Meirane, author of 10 cookbooks and author at L&#39;Officiel Baltic / L&#39;Officiel Latvija:

To believe that all teas are the same is a big mistake. There are huge differences even between teas grown in the same country, and Japanese teas are direct evidence of this. Hojicha is the tea the Japanese drink every day, and I like it too. But nothing can compare for me with Sencha tea, especially with two types - with rose and yuzu (a hybrid of lemon and tangerine). Their lightness and elegance are incredible. They are very different, but every sip of any of them is pure pleasure. I am ready to drink them every day.

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You can find more information about these Japanese teas on the website &ndash;

<a href="https://rigafood2020jp-tea.com/" target="_blank">https://rigafood2020jp-tea.com/</a>

Japanese tea guide

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