Tea

Shizuku tea is a method of brewing gyokuro that has recently been rediscovered.
To maximize the flavor of the tea, it is brewed in a teacup with a lid.

 

This is the method used at the Hoshino Hometown Tea Culture Museum in Hoshino Village, Fukuoka Prefecture, a region famous for its gyokuro tea.
To maximize the flavor of the tea, it is brewed in a teacup with a lid or a small teapot.

[1] To enjoy Shizuku tea, you will need a special tea bowl (see photo on the left). If you don't have one, please prepare a small tea bowl with a lid or a small sake cup with a lid.

[2] Place about 4g (1 teaspoon) of Gyokuro tea leaves in a tea bowl. For the first brew, use water that is about body temperature (40°C) and pour about 20cc (1 tablespoon) of water around the edge of the tea bowl.

[3] Put the lid back on and wait for about 2 minutes. When it's time to drink the tea, hold the tea bowl in your left hand, open the lid slightly, and hold it down with your right hand while sipping the tea.

[4] Second brew: Remove the lid and slowly enjoy the aroma of the tea, then pour 20cc of hot water over the tea leaves in a mountain shape. Put the lid back on and wait 2 minutes, then enjoy as you did the first brew.

Third brew: Remove the lid and pour in the same amount of water with a temperature of 50 degrees.

Fourth brew: Remove the lid and enjoy with water at 80 degrees Celsius, and you will be able to taste the bitterness similar to that of sencha.

[5] Finally, after the fourth infusion, add a little vinegar and soy sauce to the tea leaves to enjoy as a snack.