Sencha brewing guide

How to make sencha tea? - Instructions

You've acquired some excellent sencha tea and you have a kyusu pot - but how do you start making it?

Japanese sencha is one of the most sensitive teas when it comes to steeping parameters. However, that makes it very versatile and customizable – which can be both exciting and daunting, especially for beginners.

This guide provides a solid starting point that is almost guaranteed to make delicious tea – every time.

Before we open the tea...

Let's review what you'll need to get the most out of your tea leaves.
Making tea doesn't require complicated tools, but well-chosen tools help make the experience consistent and enjoyable.

Basic tools:

• Kyusu or hohin teapot

• A teacup (e.g. yunomi)

• Scale with an accuracy of at least 0.1 grams

• Kettle

The three most important factors

1. Tea leaf-to-water ratio

2. Water temperature

3. Soaking time

These all affect the end result – if you have these in hand, you can much more influence what you get out of your tea.

Step by step: Making Sencha

Recommended default setting (for orthodox sencha):

1-2 g / 50 ml | 70–80°C | 60 sec, 0 sec, 45 sec

(This guide is for "normal" steamed 'sencha' - that is, the asamushi and chuumushi types.
Long-steamed, or fukamushi, 'senchas' require a slightly different method.)

Step 1 – Weigh the tea leaves

Use 1–2 grams of tea per 50 ml of water.
For higher quality teas, it is worth choosing a larger quantity.

Example: 3g of tea was used for a 70ml yunomi cup.

Step 2 – Fill your cup with freshly boiled water

This simultaneously measures the required amount of water and preheats the cup.
Meanwhile, the water cools to about 85–90°C.

Step 3 – Pour the leaves into the kyusu pot

Try to distribute the leaves evenly across the bottom of the pot.

Step 4 – Pour the water from the cup into the jug

The water poured into the cold pot cools down again, this time to around 75–80°C – ideal for 'sencha'.
Start the timer and soak for 60 seconds.

Step 5 – Wait patiently

Do not move the can or stir the leaves – this will avoid excessive dissolution.
If you want to cool the water further, leave the lid of the kettle open.

Step 6 – Fill it up and you're ready to drink.

Pour the tea slowly – this is how the flavor of Japanese teas unfolds most beautifully.

Some important reasons why you should charge slowly:

• the filter does not clog

• less fine tea grounds end up in the cup

• the tea doesn't leak out of the pot unnecessarily

Important: always pour out every last drop, because that's where most of the flavor is.

If you're filling multiple cups, alternate between them (or use a pourer first) to ensure an even flavor.

Additional soakings - infusions:

A good quality sencha can last up to 3 infusions. Always leave the lid of the pot slightly open between infusions to allow the leaves to “breathe”.

• Second pour : pour water on it again (as per the previous steps), but pour it out almost immediately – 0-5 seconds is enough.

• Third pour : with slightly hotter water, with a soaking time of about 45 seconds .

+1 tip: Experiment!

One of the biggest advantages of sencha is that it is very customizable.
If you play with temperature, quantity and time, you will get completely different taste experiences – from the same tea.