Japanese foods-- ocha

[itch22]

I recently purchased some tea called Maccha Iri Konacha (Shirakiku Brand), and seems to be somewhere in between matcha and sencha. I've tried brewing it like matcha and sencha, the sencha brewing methods producing a better cup of tea, but it wasn't as good as matcha or sencha (or gyokuro). Is it my personal taste? Or are there special brewing instructions I am unaware of?

[torakris]

It could be personal preference. This kind or tea in basically a powdered tea (konacha) that has some matcha added (matcha iri), it is probably best brewed as you would a powdered tea.

[Hiroyuki]

as you would a powdered tea.

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That is, with very hot water and using a tea strainer, right? Sushi shops serve konacha (powdered tea) that way.

[itch22]

I didn't use boiling water. Wouldn't that burn the tea, as it would matcha or sencha?

Is konnacha the same as agari? If so, the konacha I brewed was much darkerer and thicker than the tea I've had in sushi bars. The instructions with the back recommended 1 tbsp per cup. The instructions are in Japanese, but a store employee translatted them for me. (I feel like a child sometimes. )

Here is another question, when it says "cup" in brewing instructions, is this the same as the American cooking measurement?

(Torakris, maybe I should have posted this topic in the tea forum, but at least it is specifically about Japanese teas...)

[torakris]

a Japanese cup is 200ml, this could make a difference.....

and sometimes for drinks I see the recommendeed amount at 180ml

from here http://www.ujicha.com/shouhokuen%20pages/e...matigai1-3.html

All the small broken pieces of tea leaves that are thieved through make up Konacha or POWDER Tea. (They are actually the most delicate and delicious parts of tea leaves) The price is reasonable while its color and aroma and taste are all rich. It is best known as AGARI, the tea you drink with Sushi, and is consumed in great quantity at Sushi bars and restaurnats in Kanto district (Tokyo and its surrounding area) Since tea leaves are in small pieces, we would advise you to use a tea strainer or paper or cloth tea bags for making Konacha. Be sure to pour boiling water into the pot and that very quickly. It is the only and best way to throughly enjoy it.

[Hiroyuki]

In the traditional Japanese measuring system called shakkan hou (尺貫法 in Chinese characters), 1 gou (合) is equivalent to 180 ml, which used to be considered one cup. When I was an elementary school student back in late 1960s and early 1970s, milk was still served in 180-ml glass bottles at school lunch. Things have changed, and one cup is now equivalent to 200 ml.

By definition, agari is the cup of tea served at a sushi shop after you have finished eating sushi. The cup of tea served before the sushi is called debana (出花), but agari has come to mean any cup of tea served at a sushi shop. Also note that agari used to be a jargon term just like shari (vinegared rice), gari (vinegared ginger), murasaki (soy sauce), and so on. Personally, I don't want to use these terms at a sushi shop (that would sound like snobbery to me), but there are many others who like to use them (in an attempt to pretend to be a connoisseur (tuu 通 in Japanese).

[merrybaker]

Hello, everyone. This is my very first ever posting on eGullet, so I'm not sure if I got it right. My husband wants me to make green tea that tastes like that at Japanese restaurants. I know it's not Lipton's but what kind is it? I've tried several from the Japanese grocery store, but he says they don't taste the same. Maybe they're too good -- I suppose restaurants don't buy the best, but that's what he wants. I'd appreciate it if you could give me a very specific brand and type to look for. Thanks so much. BTW, I did try to do an eGullet search for green tea, but something went wrong.

[lannie]

Welcome!

I like the green tea with the roasted bits of rice (tastes almost smokey). The brand I buy is easily found in supermarkets in Canada:

Ujinotsuyu-Genmaicha (Japanese Green Tea & Roasted Rice)

It comes in a 400g green and clear oblong package with black and red Japanese kanji characters. You can see the tea leaves interspersed with the roasted rice granules.

[torakris]

see if this thread helps:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...st=0&p=269999

and welcome to egullet and the Japan Forum!

[melonpan]

Hello, everyone.  This is my very first ever posting on eGullet, so I'm not sure if I got it right.  My husband wants me to make green tea that tastes like that at Japanese restaurants.

hi merrybaker... where is the restaurant(s) that you frequent and what are their names?

[Hiroyuki]

Hm... Simply commercial tea or tea bags, I suppose.

I have a couple of questions:

Is it really green tea?

Where are you located?

[merrybaker]

lannie, I'm sure the tea with rice is NOT the one my husband likes. But the smoky flavor sounds so delicious, I'm going to buy it for myself! Thanks for the suggestion.

[merrybaker]

kris, thanks for finding the thread on green tea. There's a lot of information there!

[merrybaker]

Hiroyuki and melonpan, I’ll answer you both at once. Right now I’m in New Jersey. We moved here a few months ago, so every restaurant is new to us and we don’t have favorites yet. I’m sure it’s green tea. But since we don’t go to fancy restaurants, maybe it IS made with teabags. That would be okay -- then hubby could make his own tea. Right now I have to do the tea leaves and strainer ritual for him.

[Jason Perlow]

I would think that the most prudent thing would be to ask your favorite restaurant which brand they use, and to have them show you the box.

Japanese Green Tea and Chinese style green teas are different, for the most part Japanese use "Matcha" which is like a powder. The Chinese have a lot of varieties in green tea, depending on what country and province it is from (PRC, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia). Taiwanese companies like Ten Ren have fragrance infused green teas as well as flower/green tea blends in various grade levels. And of course the Koreans have green tea as well.

http://www.green-tea.us/matcha.htm

The main Japanese supermarket in NJ is Mitsuwa which is in Edgewater, and they have a good tea selection. Han Ah Reum is a korean supermarket in Ridgefield Park (they have Englewood and Hackensack locations as well) and they carry Japanese, Korean and Chinese types.

[merrybaker]

You’re right. The best thing is just to ask! My last attempt was a Korean green tea (bought it because the package was pretty ), but it wasn’t what we were looking for.

I’m glad to hear there’s a New Jersey Mitsuwa. The Chicago suburbs (former home) had a Mitsuwa marketplace, and it was wonderful. The same building had a food court with all Japanese fast food restaurants -- noodles, ice cream, stir-fry, sushi, etc. In fact, when I visited last month, that was the first place I went for lunch!

[Hiroyuki]

Hello, everyone.  This is my very first ever posting on eGullet, so I'm not sure if I got it right.  My husband wants me to make green tea that tastes like that at Japanese restaurants.  I know it's not Lipton's    but what kind is it?  I've tried several from the Japanese grocery store, but he says they don't taste the same.  Maybe they're too good -- I suppose restaurants don't buy the best, but that's what he wants.  I'd appreciate it if you could give me a very specific brand and type to look for.  Thanks so much.  BTW, I did try to do an eGullet search for green tea, but something went wrong.

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It's really nothing, but whenever I drink this tea, I remember this particular post, so here it is:

One of the cheapest kinds of genmai (brown rice) tea. This particular product, which contains 60 teabags, was 198 yen if I remember right.

[merrybaker]

One of the cheapest kinds of genmai (brown rice) tea.  This particular product, which contains 60 teabags, was 198 yen if I remember right.

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Hiroyuki, it's funny that you would bring that up. Funny because it's embarrassing to read my first post again. And funny because our favorite tea so far has been YamaMotoYama brand of brown rice tea (genmai-cha). I love the toasty flavor of the rice! So maybe while you were drinking your tea, your thought-waves went around the world. Anyhow, thanks for showing a picture. I'll print it out and take it to the store as a new brand to try.

Oh, one more thing... Is genmai-cha suitable for making ochazuke? It would seem a natural, but I get the feeling that plain green tea is always used.

-Mary

[Hiroyuki]

One of the cheapest kinds of genmai (brown rice) tea.  This particular product, which contains 60 teabags, was 198 yen if I remember right.

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Hiroyuki, it's funny that you would bring that up. Funny because it's embarrassing to read my first post again. And funny because our favorite tea so far has been YamaMotoYama brand of brown rice tea (genmai-cha). I love the toasty flavor of the rice! So maybe while you were drinking your tea, your thought-waves went around the world. Anyhow, thanks for showing a picture. I'll print it out and take it to the store as a new brand to try.

Oh, one more thing... Is genmai-cha suitable for making ochazuke? It would seem a natural, but I get the feeling that plain green tea is always used.

-Mary

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Yamamotoyama is a big nori (laver) and ocha (tea) company in Japan. Your genmai-cha must be much more expensive than mine!

I usually drink this kuki cha (stalk tea) of Ichikawaen

https://www.ichikawaen.co.jp/shopping/detai...4&search_page=1

I can't get kuki cha of this quality at 500 yen per 100 g anywhere else.

Is genmai-cha suitable for making ochazuke? Of course! No laws against using genmai-cha! You can use plain hot water and other types of tea as well, such as bancha (coarse green tea), houjicha (roasted green tea), barley tea, and even oolong tea! Explore the wonderful world of ochazuke!

That being said, I seldom make ochazuke from scratch. I almost always use instant ochazuke mix. I usually pour plain hot water, but some people (like my mother) prefer to pour green tea for additional green tea flavor.

[merrybaker]

Your genmai-cha must be much more expensive than mine!

It’s not especially cheap. But I like the way the teabags are packed individually in foil to keep them fresh. I worry that the box has been sitting on the store shelf for months (years?).

I almost always use instant ochazuke mix.

I forgot about the mixes. I'll start with a mix to learn what ochazuke is like. Add it to the shopping list!

[Kiem Hwa]

A new tea i picked up: Shincha-Ume??? Why "ume", when there is apparently no ume in it?

[helenjp]

wild guess....occasionally things are graded "pine", "plum" or "bamboo", meaning "excellent", "good" and "regular" quality. But I don't recall seeing that system used for tea.

[maryeats]

Ok, I realize that this could come off as a silly question, but how do you make iced green tea?

Growing up, my Southern mother would make sweetened iced tea, but I don’t assume the method is the same.

What type of green tea is best to use? Do you sweeten it? These muggy monsoon days are begging for a glass.

[sanrensho]

There are a couple of ways to make iced green tea, but my method is to just brew sencha leaves for 2-5 minutes (before bitterness sets in) at around 70 degrees Celsius, then strain the leaves. Cool to room temp before placing in the refrigerator. Water it down if find the brew too strong. I usually make large quantities at once.

Although delicious, I must warn you that drinking large amounts of iced green tea will have you going to the bathroom very frequently. Much more so than coffee or tea, I find.

Edited July 11, 2006 by sanrensho (log)

[michael_g]

Iced tea here in Israel generally means iced green tea, often with mint, sweet geranium, lemon verbena, or chamomile. (I prefer the first and the last.) I let my water get a little hotter than sanrensho, probably up to 80 or 85. I'm also using some pretty low grade tea leaves, Wissotzky Thé Vert: it's full of sticks.

I usually sweeten the brew with honey, pouring the hot water over spoonfuls of it until my carafe is full. I make the tea in batches a little bigger than a liter; I would guess that I use around two biggish tablespoons of honey. Sugar works fine thrown in with the tea leaves instead of honey, but gives a less subtle taste.

Just like sanrensho, I let the tea cool for an hour or two outside before putting it in the fridge. I started doing this because it makes more of the leaves settle to the bottom, but it might affect the taste in a way I haven't noticed.