(7 steps) to Making Irresistible Bancha!
A step-by-step to guide you on the proper way to make Japanese Bancha tea.
This article was last modified November 14th, 2021. by Yuki
Bancha is generally regarded as a low-grade Japanese Green tea.
It's significantly lower in umami of that of a Sencha, while the levels of catechin - which gives the astringency to the tea - are actually comparable.
Therefore, when preparing this tea, you might think to reduce the astringency by lowering the temperature of the water, similar to the way you would brew a cup of Sencha or a Gyokuro.
However, it's actually better to use hot water for Bancha.
Instead of trying to contain the astringency components of this tea, use boiling water and extract the nutrients and aroma to the max.
This tea is intended to enjoy the astringency - so let's do just that! Here are the steps on how to prepare delicious Bancha.
We will go through preparing Bancha with hot water in this article, but cold-water infusion is also very much recommended for this tea. It will result in a refreshing tea that will help reduce blood-glucose levels.
Quick Guide:
Bancha | |
Servings |
2 servings |
Water (ml) |
200 ml |
Leaves (g) |
6g |
Leaves (in teaspoons) |
3 tsp |
Temperature (Celsius) |
100 degrees (Boiling Water) |
Brewing time (sec) |
30 sec |
Step1: Preparation
Kyusu (Teapot) and Chawan
What do I need to make Bancha?
First, prepare the required tools for Bancha. It would be ideal if you can prepare the following.
- Bancha leaves
- Teaspoon
- Large-sized Kyusu (Teapot)
- Large-sized Chawan (Cups)
Typically, Bancha will be prepared in volume. Use a large sized Kyusu (approximately 800 ml) and large sized Chawan (approximately 200ml) for this.
However, if you don't have these exact items, no need to worry. Any type of teapot and cup will do. If you're using glass materials, just make sure that they are heat resistant, as we will be using boiling water to brew this tea.
You can check our guide on tools for brewing tea for more details on the tools used for Japanese Tea.
Step 2: Measuring the Amount of Tea Leaves
2-3g per person
Bancha will typically use 2-3g of tea leaves per person.
Going by this ratio, if you are preparing for a group of 5 people, the amount of required leaves will be 10-15g.
However, in such case, 10g will be enough to enjoy great tasting Bancha. The more servings you make, the less leaves to tea ratio is required.
One thing to take note of is, if you use more than this amount – say, 4-5g of Bancha leaves for 1 person, you can also enjoy a delicious 2nd infusion as well.
After measuring the tea leaves, take the leaves and put them into the teapot.
Step3: Prepare the right amount of water
Measure the water by pouring into the Chawan
The next step is to prepare the right amount of water.
Using a Chawan (or any kind of teacup) to measure the water is a very convenient method to do this.
By knowing the estimate capacity of the cup, you can easily measure the amount of tea you are required to make, and the amount of water you will need, just by pouring the required water into the cup!
The prerequisite for this is again to know the capacity of your cup, so It's very important to check the capacity of your cup beforehand.
Pour water into the Chawan to measure the amount of water you need. Keep in mind that when you infuse the Bancha, the tea leaves will absorb the water so the amount at the end will become less.
They would absorb about 4 times the mass of the leaves. Make sure you add more water to account for this.
Once you have measured the amount of water required, take the water that was poured into the cups and put them back into the pot to start boiling.
Step 4: Boiling the water and brew
For Bancha, pour the hot water directly into the Kyusu (teapot)
Once the water is boiling, take the water and pour it into the teapot (kyusu).
Unlike Sencha or Gyokuro, Bancha is usually a low-grade tea with small amount of nutrients. For this type of tea, it’s best to extract the nutrients as much as possible by infusing with boiling water straight from the teapot.
Step5: Let the Tea Brew
Wait for 30 Seconds
Bancha requires a relatively quick infusion. Let the Bancha seep for about 30 seconds.
The astringency of the Bancha is strong, and boiling water will bring out the astringency to the max. Therefore, if the Bancha is brewed too long, it may become bitter.
It's a good idea to keep the infusion time to 30 seconds.
Step 6: Serve and Enjoy!
When you serve Bancha to several people, make sure the richness of the tea is equal.
It’s common sense that you can’t serve one person have thick tea, while serving another person have thin tea! However, this will happen if you don’t be careful.
The tea will become richer and richer as you pour. In order to even the richness of the tea for everyone, the tea is poured in the following order.
Pour the tea in this order
This method of pouring is called “Mawashisogi”. If there are 3 Chawans, firstly, pour halfway in the order of 1 – 2 – 3. Subsequently, pour again in the reverse order of 3 – 2 – 1.
Make sure that the tea is poured to the very last drop. This helps to keep the second infusion delicious as well. If tea is remaining in the Kyusu, the second infusion may not be as enjoyable.
Once it's served - enjoy!
Step 7: Second Infusion
For the second Infusion, use boiling water directly from the pot again.
The infusion time should be extremely short. Take it out right after infusion. For the infusions after the 1st, the tea leaves have already absorbed the water. You will not need to calculate the additional water being sucked by the leaves.
FAQ
My Bancha tea has different instructions from this article. Should I follow these instructions, or should I follow the one on the bag of the tea?
Each tea is different, and will have their own balance of nutrients and tastes which can be maximized by different preparation methods.
The instructions on your teabag are most likely made specifically to maximize the taste of your tea, so I recommend you following the instructions on the teabag first.
At the same time, there is no "correct way" of making tea either.
All tea are open to experimentation. If you try the instructions on the teabag and is not to your liking, try the method introduced here.
Have fun experimenting with the tea!
Yuki
Yuki is the Editor-in-Chief AND Community Manager at Tealife. He bleeds Japanese Tea and loves being a part of the Japanese Tea journey of others. Writes, does events, conducts tasting sessions, drinks, drinks and drinks tea! Easily accessible - hit him up on whatsapp (+65) 85882980.