Why You Should Ice Brew Japanese Teas

Now that Football season is coming up I already know there will be about 1,000 commercials for a certain beer company on TV. Even for those who don't watch football, I am sure you have seen the commercial of a silver train freezing everything in its path. They then go on and on about their beer being ice brewed and better tasting because of it. I used to think that was a bunch of marketing, but then I actually tried a tea that was brewed using only ice. I know it sounds quite weird and almost impossible to do, but brewing tea with ice is actually a traditional Japanese way of brewing high end Sencha and Gyokuro. The end result is an intense and smooth tasting tea that extracts all the wonderful flavor notes that great Japanese teas are known for.

What you need

2 teaspoons (5 grams) of good Sencha or Gyokuro
1 Tokoname Teapot (or other wide bowled teapot)
Ice made from quality water

How to Make It

1) Place 2 teaspoons of tea in the teapot

2) Fill the teapot with ice

3) Wait for the ice to melt

4) Pour the tea into small teacups

There are two ways to pour it

As you will see in the section below, this method is extraordinarily easy. The only issue with it is it takes a long time. Therefore, you have two options, you can wait for all the ice to melt and drink it all at once or slowly drink the tea as it melts over the hour or so that it brews for. If you decide to wait for all the ice to melt and pour it all at once, be sure to pour a little into each persons cup so the tea isn't too concentrated on the last pour. In my opinion, I like to drink it as the ice melts. Just wait about 30 - 60 minutes until you pour your first cup. This method is perfect if you like to read. By the time you finish a chapter you get to pour out a nice little cup of delicious tea as a reward!

Summary

Whether or not you believe the frozen bullet beer commercials or not, I can tell you for sure that ice brewing Japanese teas make a difference in the flavor. Just remember, use pure water for your ice and take your time with it. I can personally say that once you taste the tea you will understand it is well worth the wait.