As with most things, it is best served the traditional way, with warm water, whisked in a bowl. But, if you have a low grade matcha, such as one that hasn’t been refrigerated, or says “cooking grade”, you can try it added to other foods. Some people use it with chocolates, as I did recently when I blended coconut flesh, almonds, cacao, and dates in my Vitamix, I rolled the dough in matcha powder and sea salt. It was delicious, sweet from the coconut and dates, a bit bitter from the raw cacao and matcha, and tantalizing to the tongue because of the sea salt.

Matcha has amazing health benefits because of its high chlorophyll content, and it’s wonderful for aiding the body in becoming more alkaline. But, it does have caffeine, though it’s a small amount, there are other natural properties that can be stimulating. It is said to stimulate the metabolism and aid with digestion, as all green tea does, but not everyone has the same reaction to it. So notice as you try matcha, it may soothe your belly, or increase energy depending on your constitution.

A basic tea tasting will include a variety of teas, such as white, green, oolong, black and pu’er all served in traditional style.  Depending on where the tea is from, the traditional style will vary.  For example, Japanese green tea may be brewed in a raku teapot, while Chinese oolongs may be served in an Yixing clay pot, with a small cup for smelling the fragrance of the tea, and another cup for tasting the brew.

However the tea is served, the experience should be relaxing and enjoyable.  In China people spend hours at teahouses, with friends and strangers, sharing cup after cup of the steaming brew. With tea conversations flow, business deals are made, creativity flourishes and the mind is alert, yet calm.  All of these attributes can be experienced at a tea tasting, while also learning more about the taste, technique and stories of tea.

To find a tea tasting in your area contact local teashops.  If there aren’t any in your immediate area, then contact a cafe or shop that sells tea and find out if they would be interested in hosting a tea tasting.  Though Seattle is thought of as a coffee town, we have numerous tea aficionados who lead tea tastings and educate about the many virtues of tea.  SteapSeattle is just one source for tea tasting, service, classes and consulting.

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Eventually, tea was consumed by everyone in society and grew in popularity so much that it was enjoyed with every meal and even used in cooking. Though tea originated in China, the Japanese developed their own methods for processing and drinking tea, including an elaborate ceremony for drinking the powdered tea called Matcha.  In tea growing regions, the plants are grown and harvested in the most efficient, space saving way possible. The Japanese process all of their teas by steaming the fresh leaves, which brings out the brilliant green color and perhaps imparts a more grassy flavor and aroma. During our most recent Japanese tea tasting, on an unusually sunny and warm Seattle day, we all relished in the teas an aroma of fresh cut grass on a hot summer day.

We tasted most of the 10 types of Japanese tea: ceremonial grade Matcha, Gyokuro Suimei, two types of Sencha, Kukicha, Genmaicha and Hojicha. Japan is the only country that grinds green tea into fine Matcha powder for use in a traditional tea ceremony. Matcha is made from Tencha, a shade grown tea (discussed later under Gyokuro). It is possible that they learned this style from the Chinese, but no records or current usage in China can verify this. The Japanese tea ceremony is not elaborate in appearance, though it can take several hours to perform. At our tasting we enjoyed whisked Matcha, served somewhat traditionally, from a bowl with cool water to preserve the fresh and delicate tea.

Gyokuro, one of the finest Japanese teas, is shade grown for the last 20-30 days before plucked. The shades, called Tana, block the sunlight from reaching the fresh sprouts which are hand plucked in early Spring. The result is a dark, almost pine green, needle-shaped leaf that is unusually sweet and milky. The brew is cloudy and chartreuse in hue, and there is no astringency at all. Gyokuro, though higher in caffeine than other Japanese teas, has a greater amount of theanine, the relaxing chemical found in tea leaves.

Sencha is the most widely consumed tea in Japan and comprises about 80% of the tea grown there. The Japanese have developed fine machinery that can mimic a hand pluck and gather 200-300 pounds of tea leaves per day (the average worker plucks 20-30 pounds per day). Due to the large quantities of Sencha produced, most is machine plucked and processed and quality varies widely from highly prized to low-grade everyday tea. The Senchas we tasted were grassy, slightly astringent and/or bitter, had hints of sweetness, and appeared cloudy and bright green.

Kukicha, produced in Spring, is also known as ‘twig tea’. It is made from Sencha leaves and twigs. Historically, ‘twig tea’ was consumed by tea farmers and made from the low grade remnants of the crop. Today many people like Kukicha because of its low caffeine content and slightly sweet taste.

Genmaicha may be the best known of Japanese teas because it is popular in sushi restaurants. Also called ‘toasted rice green tea’, it is comprised of fine needle-like tea leaves, popped and toasted brown rice, and occasionally Matcha powder. We steeped this tea several times and noticed the depths of flavor that arose with each brewing, including the strong brown rice flavor, subtle astringency from the Matcha, and an overall sweetness caused by the melding of these two flavors.

Hojicha is the most unusual of Japanese teas, with a brown and stick-like appearance. This roasted green tea has the aroma and flavor of chocolate, wheat, bamboo and earth. Because it is very low in caffeine, it is often served to children in Japan.
Drinking Japanese teas on a sunny spring day felt right, like we were cleansing our bodies and minds of winter dullness. The beauty of many teas can be seen through the country of origin and the culture created for their enjoyment; while drinking Japanese teas we told stories and discussed the history and culture of this nation of 3,000 islands. The refinement of Japanese culture steeped into our group as we tasted and enjoyed the simple, almost minimalist beverage that is tea.

I will begin with the most delicate teas that require cooler water and no rinsing, followed by oolongs, black, pu’er and herbals.

Some White and Green teas are produced from the most delicate part of camellia sinensis (tea plant), the first buds and leaves of the plucking season. The tea is then either withered, steamed or pan-dried to stop the oxidation of the leaves, thus creating green tea. Because of the delicate nature of the tea leaves we Do Not use boiling water on white and green tea. This may be a make or break point in your decision of which tea to consume, since some people crave boiling hot water to sip their tea. If that is the case, you can either drink black tea or astringent green tea, since that taste is the outcome of singed leaves.
The ideal water temperature for white and green tea is between 160- 180 F, a way to practice this is 80% boiling water and 20% cool temperature.

White and green teas are not rinsed, the first steeping is usually the best, with the most complex flavor and satisfying taste. These teas will have 2-3 good steepings with subsequent brews stirring up just a light essence of tea flavor in the water. I recommend brewing the first cup with cooler water for just 50-60 seconds, the second cup can steep a bit longer (1 to 2 minutes) with the same temperature water and the third steeping can use the hottest water and steep until there is some color and flavor to the brew. Any steepings after this will not be fruitful, but perhaps enjoyable.
White teas are unique because these can steep for a long time, though I don’t often try this, some say these teas can steep for 15 minutes! Go ahead and try that on the second steeping and see what develops, likely there will be complex flavors that you didn’t notice before.

Oolongs, a world unto themselves, these complex, fragrant and overall beautiful teas range from 15-75% oxidation. Most familiar to many people are the tightly rolled oolong leaves that unfurl with each steeping and other oolong leaves are twisted. How to best enjoy an oolong may vary with the type, oxidation, country of origin and age of the tea. Use this guide as simply a rule of thumb and find what works best with your palate and tea.

You can use boiling water for oolongs, or perhaps a little bit under boiling. For rolled oolongs add one heaping teaspoon of the leaves in order to have several steepings. If you don’t have time and will not be enjoying all 5-7 steepings the tea has to offer then use less leaves.
Rinse the leaves! This first rinse is wonderful. Simply pour some boiling water over the leaves and immediately rinse it off. The rinse removes any tea dust and prepares the leaves for opening. It is said that the 2nd and 3rd steepings of oolongs are the most enjoyable, so don’t feel bad about discarding the first one.
The first steeping, similar to green tea, is short, about 1 minute or even less. The second steeping is a bit longer, and the 3rd, 4th and 5th are each longer than the one before. It is a pretty elementary process considering the complex flavor that arises in your cup. Often a fine oolong will have hints of sweetness, floral aromas and undertones of strong, smokey flavor.

Black teas. I am not so adept at steeping black teas, but somehow feel qualified to write about them since it is fairly simple. Use boiling water, steep for a minute or 2, depending on how strong you like your brew. If you plan to add cream, milk or a sweetener then steep the tea for a longer time so you can really taste the tea. Black teas provide 3-4 decent steepings, the first one is very strong and the rest are progressively milder.

Pu’er, a rich, earthy tea from China’s southern Yunnan Province, is sometimes considered the red wine of tea. This complex tea is either pressed into a cake while the leaves are green and then aged for several years, during which time the leaves oxidize and it transforms into a rich and almost hearty black tea. If not pressed into a cake the leaves are stored loose and may be oxidized before storage, though this is not always the case. Either way, this tea is a must try for any tea drinker, since it’s origins can be traced back thousands of years and is perhaps the first traded, highly prized tea. (I would love to know what it tasted like hundreds of years ago)
Pu’er’s should be enjoyed with boiling water. In cake form, one must break off a piece of the cake, roughly 2 inches by 2 inches, or enough to fit in a teaspoon. At Teahouse Kuan Yin, we use YiXing pottery to brew our Pu’ers, since the clay pot will absorb the wonderful flavor and aroma of the tea.

Rinsing is a must for Pu’ers, some people even rinse the tea twice (not recommended for loose-leaf). After the first rinse, the first steeping is short, about 30 seconds. If it is a “cooked” or black Pu’er then the brew will be amber in color, reminiscent of maple syrup. The tea will steep several more times, perhaps so many more that you find you are still enjoying a full flavored brew after 9 steepings and several hours of great accomplishments. Like red wine, this tea has given rise to great poetry, novels, paintings and any work that one attempts while sipping Pu’er. It’s robust aroma and flavor, which is described as earthy, and powerful effects is not necessarily due to a higher caffeine content, in fact, many teas loose the caffeine within the first 1-3 steepings. What causes the power of Pu’er is unknown, drinkers do not get jittery like they would from coffee, and the smoothness of the tea is translated into whatever one puts their mind to. Enjoy Pu’er and remove any excess water from the leaves between steepings. It is also said that this tea helps to lower cholesterol.
Herbals. Herbal teas do not have camellia sinensis, and therefore are caffeine free. Some are a combination of herbs, flowers and bushes, such as a rooibos-peppermint blend and can be steeped however you like. If you desire a hot brew, go ahead and use boiling water, if you want a strong taste, brew for several minutes, the flavor will only be enhanced. Unlike camelia sinensis, which becomes astringent and bitter from over-steeping, herbals only become stronger in flavor. Many herbals taste great with a touch of honey too!
If you still have questions or comments please feel free to comment below or send Steap an email at: info@steapseattle.com

I will post results here once it is completed.

Unlike the Chinese way of drinking tea, which has few rules, if any, the Japanese have sanctified the enjoyment of tea by performing a ceremony, though a quiet and modest one.  The host enters the room with out a word, examines her utensils, a bowl, bamboo ladle, the match container, each has it’s own unique design, no two bowls are alike and all designed and chosen to fit the season, particular day and perhaps even the guests.

Inside the tatami tea room at the garden

We, the guests, are served one at a time, first enjoying a sweet, typically wagashi, Japanese confections filled with red bean, black sesame or another flavor and then a warm bowl matcha, whisked Japanese powdered green tea.

I greatly appreciate the Seattle Japanese Tea Garden and Chado because it is one of the few places of true serenity in the city.  Of course Seattle is surrounded by nature and even has huge parks within, but sometimes the manipulation of nature, pruning trees, clearing small pathways and planting lillies on a man-made pond can provide the viewer with a site unseen in a forest.  Japanese and Chinese gardens are created to represent all of nature within just a small area. Chado is just icing on the cake, a peaceful and deeply enjoyable experience on a Sunday afternoon in Fall.