How to "Cold Brew" Delicious Japanese Green Tea (2024)

Ice-cold Japanese green tea is a great refreshment, especially during sweltering hot summers! It is healthy, rejuvenating, tasty, and smooth.

Why do a hot Sencha and a cold Sencha differ in taste so much? Is it only the temperature difference? Or is there something materially different in their taste? If these were questions you were wondering about, you're at the right place! We'll cover it here.

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

If not, try it out! I'm sure you'll be surprised at how different they taste. It's not just the temperature of the tea that's different. You'll notice that the overall taste is significantly different.

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

• More Clear

• Less Bitter or Astringent

• Richer in Umami

You won't get the same results even if you take a "hot brew" and cool it down. The taste of the two teas from the same Tea leaves will vastly differ.

Why is that?

Several factors contribute to this difference, but the main idea is that nutrient extraction is different depending on the water temperature. One of the critical substances here is the Catechin. This Catechin is the agent of the bitterness and astringency in the tea. (It's also why Japanese green tea is such a healthy drink, but that's a topic for a different article!)

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

When tea is infused by cold water, it reduces the astringency of the Catechin that is seeped out into the water, and pulls out the sweetness and the umami of the tea leaves instead.

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.

1. Pour the tea leaves into the Kyusu (or teapot).
2. Pour minimal hot water into the Kyusu – 10ml per serving should be sufficient.
3. Wait a moment and allow the tea leaves to spread.
4. Add ice to the Kyusu to reduce the temperature.
5. Pour water into the Kyusu.
6. Seep for 1 minute.
7. Serve and enjoy.

1. Pour the tea leaves into the Kyusu teapot.
2. Add ice into the Kyusu teapot.
3. Pour water into the Kyusu teapot.
4. Seep for 3-5 minutes.
5. Serve and enjoy.