Japanese foods-- ocha

[Hiroyuki]

I never make iced green tea. I prefer hot green tea even on a hot summer day.

I googled and found that a common way to make iced green tea in Japan is to cold-brew green tea bags.

An example:

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/oft/531580/539355/

[smallworld]

Is it true that the polyphenols and other goodies in green tea start to break down soon after brewing? Wouldn't that mean there is little benefit (health-wise) to drinking cold green tea?

Not that I'm going to stop drinking it, but I'm curious.

[helenjp]

My husband is firmly convinced that cold green tea is poisonous...I tried to find out why, but haven't been able to dig up any details, sorry!

[sanrensho]

Is it true that the polyphenols and other goodies in green tea start to break down soon after brewing? Wouldn't that mean there is little benefit (health-wise) to drinking cold green tea?

I was actually wondering about the opposite. If you make iced green tea using the cold steeping method, do you gain the same antioxidant benefits as brewing the tea?

[sk_ward]

Here is a picture of the "Matcha Milk" I drank at a cafe in Azabu Jyuban. They served all kinds of straight green teas, hojicha, more modern innovations such as this drink, cha soba, and desserts. Sorry, but I can't remember the name of the cafe off the top of my head right now. Pretty though, don't you think? I love the cafe culture in Tokyo!

[Hiroyuki]

I love the cafe culture in Tokyo! 

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Looks good! Looks like a green version of espresso.

By the "cafe culture", you mean the kissaten culture? It has been eroded, first by Doutor and now by Starbucks.

But I must admit I like Doutor.

[sk_ward]

I love the cafe culture in Tokyo! 

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Looks good! Looks like a green version of espresso.

By the "cafe culture", you mean the kissaten culture? It has been eroded, first by Doutor and now by Starbucks.

But I must admit I like Doutor.

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No, I mean the complete opposite of Starbucks. And I don't think that I mean kissaten culture either. When I think of kissaten, I imagine kind of old fashioned, often smoky, coffee shops that serve expensive coffee and morning sets with toast, egg, ham and shredded cabbage. And, they are typically run by older husband and wife teams. Is this anybody else's image of kissaten culture? The cafe culture that I am referring to seems much younger and more modern. I really doubt that many of these cafes have been around for longer than ten years. They are often very small, occasionally found in obscure alleys and buildings, and seem to be run by very young people. I love that there are so many types and they each have entirely different atmospheres. Outside of Seattle or New York City, there is nowhere that compares in having the variety of cafes as Tokyo. Even then, I think that Tokyo comes out far ahead. But, I think that I love that they aren't chains most of all! Many of them are cafes by day and transform into bars by night. Most of them serve great desserts, either cakes, pastries, or wagashi. Also, many of them serve a limited menu of food like sandwiches, pasta, curries, etc. Of course, they are much more expensive than Starbucks (maybe similar to kissaten), but I love the atmosphere and it always seems like a little bit of an adventure trying to find these places. Although, occasionally I do appreciate the nearby Starbucks because I know that I can go there and stay for a long time without feeling guilty about occupying a precious table for too long. And, the best thing about Starbucks is that it is smoke free, which is a huge bonus!! Sorry, this kind of diverged away from "ocha"! Hmmmm....today I went to a cafe in Shibuya called Antenna Cafe, located in a sketchy alley and a sketchy building and I had a very delicious hojicha parfait. I forgot my camera but it was layered with bits of jelly, fresh cream, hojicha ice cream and was topped with a sprig of mint and had a really cool cookie shaped like a spoon stuck into the ice cream. And recently I bought some kukicha (Hiroyuki's favorite!), which I am enjoying very much. Between all of these cafes, the variety of bottled teas available in the stores, and my tea at home, I feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to drink as much tea as I would like. I've basically cut out soda (not a big loss) and fruit juice because there just isn't any room for them anymore in my diet! However, I don't think that I could ever kick the morning cup of coffee habit.

[gus_tatory]

I don't smoke, but I'm a heavy green-tea drinker.

...

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Hiroyuki--

I'm curious: what's the connection between smoking and green tea? I mean, why did you mention them in the same breath? Just curious if it's some folklore or something I don't know about...

[Hiroyuki]

When I think of kissaten, I imagine kind of old fashioned, often smoky, coffee shops that serve expensive coffee and morning sets with toast, egg, ham and shredded cabbage.  And, they are typically run by older husband and wife teams.  Is this anybody else's image of kissaten culture?

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Yep, my image concur with yours, except that a kissaten is not necessarily run by such people.

I know it's great to be in Tokyo..., but I don't necessarily envy you because I can drink decent green tea and coffee at home anytime...

[Hiroyuki]

I don't smoke, but I'm a heavy green-tea drinker.

...

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Hiroyuki--

I'm curious: what's the connection between smoking and green tea? I mean, why did you mention them in the same breath? Just curious if it's some folklore or something I don't know about...

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No connection at all. I just implied that like a heavy smoker who constantly smokes even during work, I constantly drink green tea, making frequent trips to the toire (bathroom) .

[torakris]

Here is a picture of the "Matcha Milk" I drank at a cafe in Azabu Jyuban.  They served all kinds of straight green teas, hojicha, more modern innovations such as this drink, cha soba, and desserts.  Sorry, but I can't remember the name of the cafe off the top of my head right now.  Pretty though, don't you think?  I love the cafe culture in Tokyo! 

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That looks huge! I see there is a spoon with it, did you drink it like a soup or actually pick it up and sip it?

I know the cafes you are talking about, they are completely different from my image of a kissaten, which are increasingly harder and harder to find.

This seems to be the new trend popping up in my neigborhood, they seem to be either Asian ones focusing on teas or more western style coffee and cakes. I would love to have a more Japanese style one around here.

[sk_ward]

Here is a picture of the "Matcha Milk" I drank at a cafe in Azabu Jyuban.  They served all kinds of straight green teas, hojicha, more modern innovations such as this drink, cha soba, and desserts.  Sorry, but I can't remember the name of the cafe off the top of my head right now.   Pretty though, don't you think?  I love the cafe culture in Tokyo! 

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That looks huge! I see there is a spoon with it, did you drink it like a soup or actually pick it up and sip it?

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I only used the spoon to mix in the sugar. I know...sugar and matcha?!? But, with the milk, it seemed okay and they gave me sugar, so I figured that adding it wasn't a faux pas. After that, I picked it up and sipped it.

Also, I should probably revise my previous statement which said that no other city compares to Tokyo in terms of variety of cafes. I should have said that no other American city compares. I can't speak for the rest of the world!!! Sorry for the America-centric comment!

[GlorifiedRice]

mugicha is my staple through out the summer, though I am not a big green tea drinker (I have none in my house) I love getting a cup at someone's house or some place of business.

Last week I took my car in for inspection (need to be done every other year) and I was sitting in this old run down auto shop office, the smell of grease everywhere, when a cup of steaming green tea was set in front of me.

Only in Japan!

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I liked the mugicha I bought a few weeks ago.

TO ME it tastes like that Celestial Seasonings tea "Roastaroma"

[sk_ward]

The old way of grinding tea leaves to make matcha powder. My arm is blocking the top, but the gyokuro tea leaves are placed in a hole on the top and as you turn the handle, it gets ground into a powder and comes out the bottom.

The modern way. I'm not exactly sure how these work, but you can see the tea leaves in the instrument on the right. The silver things rotate around pretty quickly and the matcha powder comes out the bottom.

If you're interested in green tea, try to make it to Uji someday! It's an easy trip from Kyoto, the scenery is beautiful, and the smell of tea really permeates the air. And if you're a literature buff too, you'll enjoy all of "The Tale of Genji" monuments and the museum there. At the Mitsuboshien Kanbayashisannnyu (sorry, the kanji from my Mac always comes out strange) on the main tea street, you can grind your own tea leaves, make matcha from it and drink it with a sweet for 840 yen a person. It was a fun, quick, and casual lesson. They also have a little museum. The same family has been in the business for over 500 years!