I think Nietzsche was writing about making the perfect cup of Green Tea when he wrote: ‘You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, it does not exist’.
Well probably not, but he could have been!
There are entire books dedicated to making the perfect cup of Green Tea, yet my perfect cup at its simplest is: my favourite pot and cup (which varies with my mood)… fresh, filtered water… a fine quality tea (which again, varies with my mood)… and a little love to bring the whole process together.
Appreciating most people like a tad more detail, my longer, still simple, version of the perfect cup of tea is:
- Boil water (preferably filtered or spring water).
- Warm the pot and cups with the boiled water (discard this water).
- Let the water come down from the boil for 1-2 minutes before pouring it on to the tea, otherwise it burns the delicate leaves, giving your tea a bitter taste.
Cooling for 1-2 minutes will bring the temperature down to 80-90 C | 175-195 F.
- As a starting guide, use 1 teaspoon of tea per cup, but do experiment. You will learn to be expert in what you enjoy, which is the whole idea with tea, it is all about you.
- Brew the first pot of tea for around 1 minute (or a little less or more, depending on personal taste).
- When you pour, allow the leaves to strain completely (this means further brews will still taste perfect).
- Do not over brew your tea, as this too, makes your tea taste bitter.
- GreenWitch Teas can be brewed three or four times.
- And for the single most important ingredient for great tasting tea… passion! Life is short. Live in your moment. Play, cook, love, and drink Green Tea with abandonment.
I give the final word on tea making, to one of the most famous Japanese Tea Masters in history, Sen Rikyu, ‘Tea is nought but this: first you heat the water, then you make the tea. Then you drink it properly. That is all you need to know.’
