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Yuki. I
Jun 22th, 2024

The 4 Keys to a Delicious Second Infusion of Japanese Green Tea

Learn about the differences between the infusions and best practices for conducting second infusions of Japanese tea.

Are second infusions allowed for Japanese tea? Can you conduct multiple infusions, similar to Chinese tea? How is the taste and aroma of the second infusion different from the first infusion? How would the infusion time and temperature change?


I'm sure there are tons of questions - let's get them all answered here.

Can I do multiple infusions of Japanese tea? (Is it similar to Chinese tea?)

If I were having my favorite Sencha, my daily Genmaicha, or any Japanese green tea, for that matter, would it be proper to reuse the tea leaves to make a second cup of tea?


The quick answer: Yes, it absolutely is!!


As a matter of fact, it's another excellent way to enjoy Japanese green tea.


But don't go for your fifth or sixth infusion the way you would for, say, Chinese tea. For Japanese tea, it doesn't work that way. The maximum, I would say, is two or, at most, three infusions.


What's the difference?


Japanese tea is a world of its own, extremely distinct from Chinese tea. Compared to Chinese tea, it's not as much about the aroma of the tea as the rich taste that you savor. The umami and astringency components make each sip a unique experience.


The aroma tends to last longer, infusion after infusion. That's why you can have multiple infusions for Chinese tea. You can continue to drink the tea with the aroma.


On the other hand, the taste of Japanese tea tends to disappear quickly. When Japanese tea is prepared using standard methods, the first infusion extracts all the umami.


Following the first infusion, the second one is designed to draw out the astringency, a distinct flavor component of Japanese tea.


There won't be much to "taste" to enjoy after that.

How do the Nutrients Change for the 2nd Infusion?

A fascinating experiment was conducted by the Food and Agricultural Materials Inspection Center (FAMIC) in Japan.


In their July 1999 news magazine, FAMIC unveiled the unique and intriguing results of an experiment on Sencha tea, focusing on the variations in nutrients based on the number of infusions. A special mention to Cha Ichi for preserving this valuable data on their website.

They took a medium-grade Sencha and conducted three infusions using water temperatures of 90 and 95 degrees to look at the extracted nutrient levels.


Take a look at the tables below.

Extraction of Nutrients per 1g of Sencha. (90 degrees, 60 sec infusion. 5g of leaves)

Nutrient (mg)

First Infusion

Second Infusion

Third Infusion

Total

Extraction

Glutamic Acid

1.7

1.0

0.4

3.1

Theanine

6.6

5.0

2.1

13.7

Caffeine

10.6

8.5

4.2

23.3

Catechin

42.7

37.7

20.1

100.5

Vitamin C

1.4

1.3

0.3

3.0

Extraction of Nutrients per 1g of Sencha. (95 degrees, 60 sec infusion. 5g of leaves)

Nutrient (mg)

First Infusion

Second Infusion

Third Infusion

Total

Extraction

Glutamic Acid

1.8

0.9

0.3

3.0

Theanine

6.6

4.1

1.5

12.2

Caffeine

8.9

10.9

4.9

24.7

Catechin

38.7

40.3

23.4

102.4

Vitamin C

2.3

0.8

0.0

3.1

Glutamic Acid and Theanine are "umami" substances. They give a sweet, rich, umami taste to the tea.
Catechin and Caffeine represent the astringency and bitterness in the taste of tea, respectively. 
For both infusion temperatures of 90 degrees and 95 degrees, you'll notice a substantial drop in the umami substances Glutamic Acid and Theanine after each infusion. The drop is particularly noticeable on the third infusion. The third infusion carries very minimal umami nutrients.
A similar trend can be observed for Vitamin C as well.


On the other hand, the nutrients responsible for astringency and bitterness show a very different result. They continue to extract at high levels, even on the second or third infusions.

Interestingly, the 2nd infusion of the 95 degrees experiment revealed a surprising increase in the levels of catechin and caffeine compared to the 1st infusion.


This study shows that the second infusion of Japanese tea substantially reduces umami. Therefore, the focus of the second infusion should shift to appreciating the tea's astringency, rather than the Umami. The third infusion of Japanese tea will be very prominent in the astringency and bitterness components.

Four Keys to a delicious second cup of Japanese Green Tea

Now that we know how the nutrients change in a second infusion of Japanese tea, let's learn how you can prepare a delicious cup!

1. Don’t leave water in the Kyusu (or the Teapot)

After your first infusion, it's crucial to ensure there is no water left in the Teapot. Strive to extract every last drop of water, as this will help you maintain the purity and quality of your tea.


If water is left in the Kyusu after the first infusion, it will continue to cook the leaves and deteriorate their taste. This will also make the second infusion additionally bitter, as it will release high amounts of bitterness and astringency components. So, finishing your first infusion is key to the taste of the second.

Even if you're not drinking the second infusion, you should serve the last drop anyway. The last drop of water from your first infusion is actually very delicious. Often called the "golden drop," you wouldn't want to leave that in your Teapot anyway! Yes, it will require some patience, but it's certainly worth the effort.

2. Keep the lid of the Teapot open

After the first infusion, and after you served all the tea until the last drop, make sure you don't fully close the lid of the Teapot or the Kyusu.
If you do, it will become musty, severely reducing the taste.


Make sure you remove the lid completely from the Teapot, or at the very least, slide the lid to the side so air can come in.

3. Use a higher water temperature for the second infusion

As a general rule of thumb, a higher water temperature will allow more nutrients to be extracted from the tea leaves into the liquid. Use this principle when you infuse your second infusion!


Remember to brew at a higher temperature for the second infusion than the first. The recommendation is about 10 degrees Celsius higher.


So, for example:


For a Sencha

if 1st infusion is 75 degrees Celsius

2nd infusion: 85 degrees Celsius


For a Gyokuro

if 1st infusion is 60 degrees Celsius

2nd infusion: 70 degrees Celsius


Adding 10 degrees to subsequent infusions in this way will allow the taste nutrients remaining in the tea leaves to seep into the tea.

4. Shorten the brewing time

The first infusion requires longer seeping time because the leaves are still closed and take time to open up.


The second infusion is different - the nutrients are ready to seep quickly. The general recommendation is to use roughly half the seeping time of the 1st infusion.


For example:


For a Sencha

If the 1st infusion is 60 seconds

Try 30 seconds for the second infusion


For a Fukamushi-Sencha

If the 1st infusion is 30 seconds

Try 15 seconds for the second infusion.


Even if you halve the seeping time, you may find the tea to be too strong. In that case, you can shorten the duration even more. Some people actually like the second infusion without any seeping time. They would start to serve immediately after the hot water is poured into the teapot!


Try experimenting and see what you like.

Enjoy!

Second Infusion FAQs:

Which Japanese tea can be used for second infusions?

A: All of them!


It would be very common for all Japanese teas to be served as second infusions. Sencha, Gyokuro, Genmaicha, Fukamushi-Sencha, Kamairicha, Tamaryokucha, and Houjicha would all work.

It's worth noting that the taste of Kukicha, a twig tea, undergoes a significant change on the second infusion. The flavor profile dramatically reduces, so it's advisable to savor the unique taste of Kukicha on the first infusion.


Besides that, it might only be worth going for a second infusion if the tea is of high quality.

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.

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