How to "Cold Brew" Delicious Japanese Green Tea (2021)

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This article was last modified October 31st, 2021. by Yuki

Ice cold Japanese green tea is a great refreshment, especially during sweltering hot summers!

Healthy, cold, delicious, and smooth.

Have you ever wondered if it's only the temperature difference?

Have you ever noticed - the actual taste itself may be different?

If so, well you're actually correct! We'll cover it here.

Have you ever tried comparing a "hot brew" and "cold brew", using the exact same tea leaves?

If not - try it out! I'm sure you'll be surprised at how different they would taste.

It's not just the temperature of the tea that's different. You'll notice that the overall taste is significantly altered.

Your "cold brew" sencha tea might feel...

• • More Clear
  • Richer in Umami
  • Less Bitter or Astringent

Even if you take a "hot brew" and cool it down, you still won't get the same results.

Why is that?

The key here is the substance in tea called catechin. This catechin is the agent of the bitterness and astringency in the tea.

The secret about catechin is that it's easier to extract from the tea leaves at hotter temperatures. It's less easier to extract at cold.

When tea is infused by cold water, it contains the astringency of the Catechin, and brings out the sweetness and the umami of the tea leaves.

Often times the astringency bothers the subtle umami and the sweetness of the tea, so cold brewing will amplify those delicate notes.

This is the reason why it tastes so different.

Sometimes, depending on the tea, it can also bring out too much raw grassiness.

Therefore, it’s best to look for Japanese tea that mentions it's good to cold brew. Alternatively, our recommendation will be to use Fukamushi-Sencha. They tend to work well as cold brew.

Let's get into how to do "cold brewing"!

Let's get into the 4 different ways of "Cold Brewing".

For each of these methods, the key to preparing Cold-brew tea is to increase the amount of leaves compared to hot water infusion.

It'll require a much longer infusion time as well.

This is the basic method of preparing cold-brew tea.

The initial infusion is done by a using a little bit of hot water.

By cooling the tea with ice and water, it will bring out the umami taste and a fresh green aroma.

An effortless way to brew - it's the "Reicha lite". You don’t even need to prepare hot water to make this tea. Just use water and ice to seep.

Brew tea as you would brew normal hot tea, but you serve it into a cup with ice in it. The tea should be extracted thicker than normal tea.

Kouri means ice. This is a method dedicated for high quality tea leaves which requires patience. The tea will seep as the ice melts.

"Cold Brew" is really a fantastic way to gain a different appreciation of the same tea you might have.

Each of these methods will taste differently, so hope you can try them all.

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