Fukamushi (deep-steamed) Sencha (深蒸し煎茶)
I’m often asked what tea is my daily brew, and deep-steamed fukamushi sencha would have to be it - whether hot or cold. Compared to asamushi (light-steamed) sencha which is steamed for up to about 15-30 seconds, deep steaming (45-60 seconds) of the tea leaves during processing causes the leaves to separate into finer particles, leading to a brew with more body and stronger flavor, as well as a deeper vivid green color and slightly cloudier tea broth. It’s a tea that can hold its own in a meal, pairing nicely with various foods without being overpowered by them. Special to this tea is slight shading for 1 week before the harvest, mellowing some of the briskness/astringency of the Yabukita cultivar of tea plant, while still maintaining the refreshing aroma loved in sencha. This sencha is also perfect for doing mizudashi (cold-brewing) in an iced tea pitcher due to the ease of extraction from the finer leaves, and is my favorite drink on a hot day.
Origin: Ujitawara, Uji, Kyoto Prefecture
Tea plant cultivar: Yabukita and Samidori
Net Weight: 100g (about 12-15 servings)
Brewing Guidance:
All Sanriku teas can be brewed up to 3 infusions with full flavor. A quick note: When brewing Japanese tea, all of the water is meant to be poured out with each infusion (as opposed to Western-style brewing, where leaves are left in the water). For this reason, “kyusu” teapots (see here) are smaller to allow for full emptying between infusions, and making a fresh infusion each time.
For Hot Tea Brewing:
Tea leaves: 2 Tbsp (about 10 grams, or 2 heaping scoops with a “Chasaji” cherry bark tea scoop)
Water temp: 75C (167F)
Water amount: ~200-300mL (size of one typical “kyusu” style teapot)
Brew time: Compared to standard sencha, Fukamushi sencha brews more quickly due to smaller leaf/particle size. 40-45 seconds for first and second infusions. Increase to 1 minute for third infusion.
For Cold Brewing (mizudashi): I recommend about 4-5 heaping Tbsp (20-25g) of tea per 1000mL cold brew filter pitcher, but adjust to your taste. Leave for 3-6 hours in the fridge (or simply overnight), and swirl to mix before serving. I recommend this Hario glass cold brew pitcher with built-in filter for loose leaf brewing.
With cold brewing, the tea will never be bitter due to cooler water temperatures extracting less caffeine and tannins which taste bitter. Instead, the rich flavor of the tea through extraction of the L-theanine amino acid is accentuated, and the tea has a natural grassy sweetness.
Feel free to experiment with water temperature and brewing time to your taste. If desiring a stronger flavor, we recommend using more leaf or slightly less water rather than pushing the temperature higher or infusion time longer (as this will bring out more astringency in the tea but not necessarily more flavor).
I’m often asked what tea is my daily brew, and deep-steamed fukamushi sencha would have to be it - whether hot or cold. Compared to asamushi (light-steamed) sencha which is steamed for up to about 15-30 seconds, deep steaming (45-60 seconds) of the tea leaves during processing causes the leaves to separate into finer particles, leading to a brew with more body and stronger flavor, as well as a deeper vivid green color and slightly cloudier tea broth. It’s a tea that can hold its own in a meal, pairing nicely with various foods without being overpowered by them. Special to this tea is slight shading for 1 week before the harvest, mellowing some of the briskness/astringency of the Yabukita cultivar of tea plant, while still maintaining the refreshing aroma loved in sencha. This sencha is also perfect for doing mizudashi (cold-brewing) in an iced tea pitcher due to the ease of extraction from the finer leaves, and is my favorite drink on a hot day.
Origin: Ujitawara, Uji, Kyoto Prefecture
Tea plant cultivar: Yabukita and Samidori
Net Weight: 100g (about 12-15 servings)
Brewing Guidance:
All Sanriku teas can be brewed up to 3 infusions with full flavor. A quick note: When brewing Japanese tea, all of the water is meant to be poured out with each infusion (as opposed to Western-style brewing, where leaves are left in the water). For this reason, “kyusu” teapots (see here) are smaller to allow for full emptying between infusions, and making a fresh infusion each time.
For Hot Tea Brewing:
Tea leaves: 2 Tbsp (about 10 grams, or 2 heaping scoops with a “Chasaji” cherry bark tea scoop)
Water temp: 75C (167F)
Water amount: ~200-300mL (size of one typical “kyusu” style teapot)
Brew time: Compared to standard sencha, Fukamushi sencha brews more quickly due to smaller leaf/particle size. 40-45 seconds for first and second infusions. Increase to 1 minute for third infusion.
For Cold Brewing (mizudashi): I recommend about 4-5 heaping Tbsp (20-25g) of tea per 1000mL cold brew filter pitcher, but adjust to your taste. Leave for 3-6 hours in the fridge (or simply overnight), and swirl to mix before serving. I recommend this Hario glass cold brew pitcher with built-in filter for loose leaf brewing.
With cold brewing, the tea will never be bitter due to cooler water temperatures extracting less caffeine and tannins which taste bitter. Instead, the rich flavor of the tea through extraction of the L-theanine amino acid is accentuated, and the tea has a natural grassy sweetness.
Feel free to experiment with water temperature and brewing time to your taste. If desiring a stronger flavor, we recommend using more leaf or slightly less water rather than pushing the temperature higher or infusion time longer (as this will bring out more astringency in the tea but not necessarily more flavor).
I’m often asked what tea is my daily brew, and deep-steamed fukamushi sencha would have to be it - whether hot or cold. Compared to asamushi (light-steamed) sencha which is steamed for up to about 15-30 seconds, deep steaming (45-60 seconds) of the tea leaves during processing causes the leaves to separate into finer particles, leading to a brew with more body and stronger flavor, as well as a deeper vivid green color and slightly cloudier tea broth. It’s a tea that can hold its own in a meal, pairing nicely with various foods without being overpowered by them. Special to this tea is slight shading for 1 week before the harvest, mellowing some of the briskness/astringency of the Yabukita cultivar of tea plant, while still maintaining the refreshing aroma loved in sencha. This sencha is also perfect for doing mizudashi (cold-brewing) in an iced tea pitcher due to the ease of extraction from the finer leaves, and is my favorite drink on a hot day.
Origin: Ujitawara, Uji, Kyoto Prefecture
Tea plant cultivar: Yabukita and Samidori
Net Weight: 100g (about 12-15 servings)
Brewing Guidance:
All Sanriku teas can be brewed up to 3 infusions with full flavor. A quick note: When brewing Japanese tea, all of the water is meant to be poured out with each infusion (as opposed to Western-style brewing, where leaves are left in the water). For this reason, “kyusu” teapots (see here) are smaller to allow for full emptying between infusions, and making a fresh infusion each time.
For Hot Tea Brewing:
Tea leaves: 2 Tbsp (about 10 grams, or 2 heaping scoops with a “Chasaji” cherry bark tea scoop)
Water temp: 75C (167F)
Water amount: ~200-300mL (size of one typical “kyusu” style teapot)
Brew time: Compared to standard sencha, Fukamushi sencha brews more quickly due to smaller leaf/particle size. 40-45 seconds for first and second infusions. Increase to 1 minute for third infusion.
For Cold Brewing (mizudashi): I recommend about 4-5 heaping Tbsp (20-25g) of tea per 1000mL cold brew filter pitcher, but adjust to your taste. Leave for 3-6 hours in the fridge (or simply overnight), and swirl to mix before serving. I recommend this Hario glass cold brew pitcher with built-in filter for loose leaf brewing.
With cold brewing, the tea will never be bitter due to cooler water temperatures extracting less caffeine and tannins which taste bitter. Instead, the rich flavor of the tea through extraction of the L-theanine amino acid is accentuated, and the tea has a natural grassy sweetness.
Feel free to experiment with water temperature and brewing time to your taste. If desiring a stronger flavor, we recommend using more leaf or slightly less water rather than pushing the temperature higher or infusion time longer (as this will bring out more astringency in the tea but not necessarily more flavor).