How Do I Make REAL Green Tea?

[sptembergurl]

Hello,
I was just wondering how those sushi restaurants make their Green tea, the one with the sediment at the bottom?

I love it, but I don't know how to do it.

Does anyone know?
If I buy "Green Tea" bags, will it taste the same?

Thanks,

Sptembergurl

[civic6url]

those green tea is originally bought at super market ... u can buy those "Tea Leaf" at any chinese/korean/jap supermarket ...

is something look like this ...

Tea Bag will look like this ...

http://listing.hk.business.yahoo.com/images/products/10251/71701.jpg

A bag of leaves will look like this ...

http://iso-tea.myweb.hinet.net/images/p3_big.jpg

[trini]

Sorry baby but tea bags are'nt considered tea
Buy some loose green tea leaves and you can get something called a infuser at the dollar store its a small stainless steel ball thing that has fine holes some are made like a ball strainer you put some tea leaves in it close it, put it in your cup pour hot water and wait 3-5 mins and presto you'll save alot of money because tea bags add up anyway and you cant reuse them and so on
If you have an old fashioned Tea Pot well you in business.

[eelfliw]

Good quality green tea comes as leaves instead of powdery stuff. The sediment stuff restaurants use is usually really really cheap stuff. It's cheap because it is not the leaf but crumbs.

Think of cookies. Whole cookies sell for a lot more money than cookie crumbs.

[CoMBo187]

If you want real tea, buy it from here www.republicoftea.com

don't bother with chinatown

[guest 03]

I walk by this place every day!

I have heard they have a good rep for their Tea and Ginseng and have been in Ottawa for 5 years at least!
I think they do mail order.

Might go by there sometime this week! but it is worth checking out

http://www.teaandginseng.com/

located in Ottawa

I also bought from some Chinese website and they have very good tea!
The prices were much cheaper than in the store.

The Jasmine gunpowder tea is very tasty.
Their white tea is really good quality also.

lots of good info on their site.

http://www.pu-erhtea.com/GreenTea.htm

you can buy samples also and it took less than 1 month to get my tea.
it is hard to find most of these in Ottawa.
esp. Lychee black tea!

[iNFiNiTe]

teabag works for me, I'm too lazy! :cheesygri

[iridium77]

1. buy tin of green tea leaves
2. put leaves in mug, add boiling water
3. drink tea
4. scoop out soggy leaves at bottom when finished

[sptembergurl]

Thanks everyone!

[keanefan]

Good quality green tea comes as leaves instead of powdery stuff. The sediment stuff restaurants use is usually really really cheap stuff. It's cheap because it is not the leaf but crumbs.

I don't think that powdered tea is considered cheap. some people prefer powdered green tea.

Ten Ren sells powdered green tea from Taiwan.

If you want powered green tea from Japan (MATCHA), it's a bit harder to find...

[me!]

I don't think that powdered tea is considered cheap. some people prefer powdered green tea.

Ten Ren sells powdered green tea from Taiwan.

If you want powered green tea from Japan (MATCHA), it's a bit harder to find...
matcha is a different kind of green tea than brewed green tea (as in the leaves)

matcha is the pulverization and ground up young tea leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, hence it's bright green colour. Green tea is a generic term for dried tea leaves, but not fermented. Fermented tea goes through a different process and is usually called "'black tea". Some Chinese teas are also fermented such as Pur erh tea.

Matcha has the highest anti oxidant fighting qualities found in any tea, and is said to be upwards of 50X more potent than red wine. (but that seems a bit far fetched. Only one or two studies have actually quoted that number, as far as I know) I think it is much less.

[itsmypostoffice]

i realize some will disagree but make your purchase from a place like ten ren. unless you know what to ask for at a traditional tea shop, it's unlikely you'll find one that suits your taste buds.

there's nothing wrong with powered mixed -- a few japanese companies excel at extracting green tea. but for real flavour you should try "whole leaves" these are sorted and stems & loose pieces are discarded for rich flavour. also, you should realize there are different green teas and each offers a different texture.

if you're interested, you should contact your local japanese consulate for a list of contacts teaching Tea Ceremonies. not only will you learn what tastes good, but you may discover the spiritual/philosophical aspect rewarding.

[keanefan]

I think that I have found the powdered green tea that you are looking for... at a tea shop in Vancouver owned by a Japanese guy. you can order online.

I'm sure that you can find the tea that you want in Toronto but if you'll have to research (phone or online search) and find the tea shop.

there are 2 types of powdered green tea: Konacha and Matcha.
Konacha is probably the one that they serve in restaurants. Matcha is fancier. The more expensive the tea, the more it tastes better.

Jasmine Pearls tea or Jasmine Tea is also good.

Order online:
http://www.infuzeteahouse.com (http://www.infuzeteahouse.com/cart/index.cfm?frm=prod-view&start=6&scid=5&CFID=2038597&CFTOKEN=98879061)

http://thecafeguide.com/Matcha.html

[atb1o1]

If you want to buy Ten Ren's tea, make sure to order your tea online from www.tenrenstea.com and not www.tenren.com

tenrenstea is located in Markham. The warehouse is near Woodbine and Steeles and you will get your tea much faster or maybe cheaper (not sure) www.tenren.com is located in California.

[dereky]

Sorry baby but tea bags are'nt considered tea
Buy some loose green tea leaves and you can get something called a infuser at the dollar store its a small stainless steel ball thing that has fine holes some are made like a ball strainer you put some tea leaves in it close it, put it in your cup pour hot water and wait 3-5 mins and presto you'll save alot of money because tea bags add up anyway and you cant reuse them and so on
If you have an old fashioned Tea Pot well you in business.

did this confuse anyone else? i'm pretty sure they put tea leaves inside the tea bags which would make it tea would it not? what's the difference between buying tea leaves that are already in a tea bag and putting the leaves in a tea infuser (other than being able to pick the quality of the tea leaves of course)? my point is --> tea bags are considered tea.

[itsmypostoffice]

my point is --> tea bags are considered tea.

i agree with trini in a traditional sense. tea bags are still frown upon when you're serving guests and connoisseurs deem its tea quality to be poorer than whole/broken leaves - there's a reason tea companies price whole leaves many times higher than tea bags. what's in a tea bag? tea of course. but are they more flavourful than tea leaves? 90% of the time = no.

[trini]

Postie they dont blood-claat get it eh man.......
try visiting the tea museum sometime they do not have tea bags in the museum they will tell you it is not considered tea its usually made up of a very little percentage of tea and fillers etc to appear as if it was a great nce full bag of tea.
But hey what do we know i'm just relaying a message from people who eat sleep and breathe tea.

[ill_mango]

my friend has this teapot which has a section in the middle for the leaves which has lots of fine holes and what not.

You pour boiling water in...wait five mins and you have green tea. I'm sure you could pick this up at any asian mall

[dereky]

i agree with trini in a traditional sense. tea bags are still frown upon when you're serving guests and connoisseurs deem its tea quality to be poorer than whole/broken leaves - there's a reason tea companies price whole leaves many times higher than tea bags. what's in a tea bag? tea of course. but are they more flavourful than tea leaves? 90% of the time = no.

i totally agree that tea leaves are a superior form of tea. i am just saying that when you put a tea bag in hot water you still get tea. it may not be the best tea, but it is still tea.

[trusoulja2g]

Tea from restaurants is generally not high quality. Go to a tea shop and you will see the huge price difference in different qualities of tea.

Asian grocery stores generally don't sell good quality tea either. I think TenRen/TenFu has stores in Toronto. I bought some at their Beijing store the last time I was there...much cheaper than in Toronto, and much better than any ordinary store-bought tea.

Tea bags = cheapest tea. It's like a cigarette compared to a hand-rolled Cuban cigar. Aside from the taste, you can usually judge the quality of tea from the leaves. Whole leaves = more expensive. Cheap tea is made of bits of leaves, and includes stems. Tea bags, where you can't even see the tea, are obviously made of scraps. Most tea from Asian grocery stores is cheap leaves. BTW, tea has a shelf life too...

[groo]

1. buy tin of green tea leaves
2. put leaves in mug, add boiling water
3. drink tea
4. scoop out soggy leaves at bottom when finished

I think you're not supposed to use boiling water because it can scald the leaves.

I've also seen people wash the leaves with hot water, empty the water from the pot, then make the tea.

[itsmypostoffice]

i am just saying that when you put a tea bag in hot water you still get tea. it may not be the best tea, but it is still tea.

sorry, i didn't mean to sound like i'm attacking your opinion. trini knows his tea and you're being pragmatic -- both correct. sometimes typing doesn't convey our messages correctly.

beijing tea: there's a common scam in china focused on tourists. tea shops will rinse and serve fresh tea for visitor using A grade tea leaves. these are usually priced at $25 to $50CAN/pkg (about 1/2 the size of a regular tin). the whole tea leaves are displayed right in front of you and you're invited to scoop your own bag for weighing... except it's not the same tea. a similar scam has to shop owner scoop the tea from the bushel but when you purchase the tea it's already bagged for sale. by the time you return to your hotel room or get on the plane it's too late to complain. brand name exported teas remain your best bet.

the japanese tea ceremony offers a textbook example in observing & enjoying tea. obviously there will be regional differences in taste & preparation (ie. brits & south asians prepare their teas differently than asians). it just has to taste good for you & your friends; i'd take a tea bag over a diet coke any day :cheesygri

I've also seen people wash the leaves with hot water, empty the water from the pot, then make the tea.

that's true for many tea varieties. sometimes you discard the first rinse to remove the bitterness & scum that forms on dark teas. while other times it's just a formal gesture for etiquette sake. teas been around for ages and there's always a reasonable explanation to why our elders prepare their teas differently. when i was introduced to the Tea Ceremony i was amazed at the philosophy behind the tasks... i mistook it as "drinking" tea when the benefit was the ceremony itself.

[felixdd]

1. buy tin of green tea leaves
2. put leaves in mug, add boiling water
3. drink tea
4. scoop out soggy leaves at bottom when finished

Not quite. You first pour in a bit of hot water (not boiling) to rinse the leaves. People usually don't drink the first rinse because it doesn't have the best parts of the tea.

The temperature of the water depends on the tea. But if you don't have anything super high-grade, then boiling water is fine. Nonetheless, rinsing is advised.

Finally, brew in a teapot so you can pour it into cups -- that way it'll strain out the tea leaves.

[keanefan]

Go to a tea shop and you will see the huge price difference in different qualities of tea.

Raymond Wong at First Markham Place sells excellent Chinese tea.

Raymond Wong & Tea
905-305-6878
3255 Hwy 7 (near Woodbine),
Markham, ON

[civic6url]

Raymond Wong at First Markham Place sells excellent Chinese tea.

Raymond Wong & Tea
905-305-6878
3255 Hwy 7 (near Woodbine),
Markham, ON


u mean inside First markham??? Where is it located around??

[felix]

Inside the food court.

http://www.first-markham-place.com/

unit no. shop name detail tel no.
216 Raymond Wong & Tea 905-305-6878

[ch1zo]

http://listing.hk.business.yahoo.com/images/products/10251/71701.jpg
this is the same one i drink everyday!
its good...will cost u $3.99cdn for a pack of 20 bags

[politicallyincorrect]

Green tea has caffeine, folks.

[Bortman]

I'm curious as well. Everytime I go for sushi at Michi in Regina I order the green tea, but it has a very hearty flavor. I asked and they said the tea has rice crackers soaked in it to give it the earthy/ricey flavor. Its almost sort of nutty in flavor. I think its friggen amazing.

I bought myself a really awesome tea/coffee pot from Ikea when I was in Calgary. Its just a little pot that you put your tea/coffee grounds, then add water, let it steep, then press the little strainer down (it starts on top) and it confines the tea/coffee gribblies at the bottom and you have a clean mix. I wonder if I did this with bits of rice cracker I'd capture the same flavor as Michi? I"ll have to attempt it! :cheesygri

[ch1zo]

http://listing.hk.business.yahoo.com/images/products/10251/71701.jpg
this is the same one i drink everyday!
its good...will cost u $3.99cdn for a pack of 20 bags

yeah this one has the cooked rice inside!

[keanefan]

I asked and they said the tea has rice crackers soaked in it to give it the earthy/ricey flavor.

roasted rice kernels.

Genmaicha , a mix of green tea and roasted brown rice
Some rice pops during roasting . This tea has a very distinct
flavor , golden color and popcorn like flavor


They probably came up with this drink by putting tea in the rice cooker. In the old rice cookers, rice used to stick to the bottom of the pot. My mom put tea in the rice cooker and the rice became unstuck. Then she would eat the rice with the tea.

The new rice cookers are made better and rice doesn't stick to the bottom anymore.

[me!]

Genmaicha , a mix of green tea and roasted brown rice
Some rice pops during roasting . This tea has a very distinct
flavor , golden color and popcorn like flavor

They probably came up with this drink by putting tea in the rice cooker. In the old rice cookers, rice used to stick to the bottom of the pot. My mom put tea in the rice cooker and the rice became unstuck. Then she would eat the rice with the tea.

The new rice cookers are made better and rice doesn't stick to the bottom anymore.

that roasted rice in the green tea makes me! puke. yuck. they put way too much roasted rice in there. I have to dilute it down with a separate pack of just green tea to bring down the rice to tea leaf ratio.

[Bortman]

yeah this one has the cooked rice inside!

Hmmm I wonder if I could get this in Regina anywhere? If not, I'll be in Markham in about a month so I'll stop by one of the Asian malls to see if its there.

[Evil Techie]

i think ppl are confused

the sediments on the bottom come from the rice kernels
the japanese tea you drink in most restaurants have rice and green tea

[keanefan]

the sediments on the bottom come from the rice kernels
the japanese tea you drink in most restaurants have rice and green tea

no.
2 types of tea: green tea or green tea with rice.

the original poster was VAGUE when she mentioned that she wanted green tea with sediments.

Just plain Japanese green tea does have sediments. Looks like a powdery green residue.

or she could be talking about green tea with rice but she didn't mention rice in her post.