CUP CHARACTERISTICS: Tending light liquoring, smooth with reasonable depth and body.
INGREDIENTS: Green tea
ANTIOXIDANT LEVEL: High
CAFFEINE LEVEL: Low
INFORMATION:
It should come as no surprise that Japan's most influential Samurai, Saigo Takamori (1828-1877), was born in Kagoshima prefecture, home of Japan Sencha Kakagawa. Why should that not be surprising? Because, both are assertive, legendary and "true". We'll explain.
According to lore, Saigo Takamori was dubbed Japan's last true Samurai. Living only until his 49th year, the famous warrior fought social oppression, exile and many battles, winning the hearts of all who followed him. Likewise, Japan Sencha Kakagawa is thought by many in the tea world to be one of the truest expressions of Japanese tea, also highly capable of winning the hearts of all who drink it.
Hailing from gardens not far from Saigo's birthplace, the fields where Sencha Kakagawa is grown have been shown in numerous studies to be radiation-free, untouched by the unfortunate 2011 Fukushima nuclear event. This leads us to the next truism regarding this fantastic Sencha. If you're familiar with Metropolitan Tea, you'll know that food safety is something we don't take lightly. In the same way the Samurai of old, valued and defended their honor, we value the safety of our clients, and will defend that position come hell, high water, or a marauding band of sword-wielding warriors. A fabulous tea, well worthy of its lineage. Enjoy.
IDEAL BREWING TEMPERATURE: 85ºC/185ºF. For Food Safety reasons bring water to 100ºC/212ºF and let it cool down to 85ºC/185ºF.
HOT BREWING METHOD:
Bring filtered or freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of loose tea for each 7-9oz / 200-260ml of fluid volume in the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the tea).
ICED TEA BREWING METHOD (Pitcher): (To Make 1 Liter/Quart):
Place 6 slightly heaping teaspoons of loose tea or 6 tea bags into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 1¼ cups/315ml over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the tea or removing the bags. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to increase the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water. (Note: Some luxury quality teas may turn cloudy when poured over ice. This is a sign of luxury quality and nothing to worry about!)