How to brew iced tea like a pro

Japanese tea master's ultimate guide for brewing delicious green tea.

From the perfect temperature to the perfect brewing time, this is the only brewing guide you will ever need. Learn how to enhance green tea's umami & sweetness, using green tea science.

Iced Gyokuro:

How to Brew Iced Tea like a Pro

Click below to skip!

➤ Go to Sencha (煎茶)

• Hot Sencha

• Iced Sencha

  
  

➤ Go to Hojicha (焙じ茶)

• Hot Hojicha

• Iced Hojicha

  
  

➤ Go to Genmaicha (玄米茶)

• Hot Genmaicha

• Iced Genmaicha

  
  

➤ Go to Gyokuro (玉露)

• Hot Gyokuro

• Iced Gyokuro

➤ Go to Twilight Blossom | Color Changing Teas

• Iced Twilight Blossom with Lemmon

  
  

➤ Go to How to whisk Matcha (抹茶)

Sencha

Sencha (煎茶) means "steeped tea." It's sun-grown green tea leaves. When we say green tea in Japan, they usually mean sencha.

For hot:

1. heat up 8oz water to 165-185°F (75-85°C)

2. add 1/2 tea spoon of sencha leaves (2-3g)

3. brew & wait for 1-2 mins

For iced:

1. heat up 8oz water to 165-185°F (75-85°C)

2. add 1/2-1 tea spoon of sencha leaves (3-4g)

3. brew & wait for 1-2 mins

4. pour over ice

   

   
   

Fun Fact: using lower temperature to brew higher quality sencha will enhance the umami flavors and lower the bitterness.

Umami is in amino acids and bitterness and astringency are in catechins & caffeine.

Hojicha

Hojicha (焙じ茶) means "roasted tea." It's sun-grown roasted bancha (summer harvests). Hojicha was made recently in Taisho Era (1900) to enjoy its toasty aroma.

For hot:

1. heat up 8oz water to boiling 212°F (75-85°C)

2. add 1/2 tea spoon of hojicha leaves (2-3g)

3. brew & wait for 1 mins or less

For iced:

1. heat up 8oz water to boiling 212°F (75-85°C)

2. add 1/2 tea spoon of hojicha leaves (2-3g)

3. brew & wait for 1 mins or less

4. pour over ice

Fun Fact: hojicha is roasted green tea made to enjoy its aroma so brewing quickly with boiling hot is the best way to enjoy hojicha.

Genmaicha

Genmaicha (玄米茶) means "roasted rice tea." It fuses bancha (summer-harvests) with roasted brown rice to create a bold flavor. In Japan, we love to pair genmaicha with supper.

For hot:

1. heat up 8oz water to 165-185°F (75-85°C)

2. add 1 tea spoon of sencha leaves (3-4g)

3. brew & wait for 1-2 mins

For iced:

1. heat up 8oz water to 165-185°F (75-85°C)

2. add 1.5 tea spoon of sencha leaves (3-4g)

3. brew & wait for 1-2 mins

4. pour over ice

Gyokuro

Gyokuro (玉露) means "jade dew." It requires longer shading periods and more complex care than matcha, making it often called "the pinnacle of Japanese green tea." The most expensive green tea in Japan is usually gyokuro rather than matcha!

For hot tea:

1. heat up 4oz water to 125-150°F (50-65°C)

2. add 1-2 tea spoons of gyokuro leaves (4-5g)

3. brew & wait for 3 mins

For iced tea:

1. heat up 4oz water to 125-150°F  (50-65°C)

2. add 1.5-3 tea spoons of gyokuro leaves (5-6g)

3. brew & wait for 3 mins

4. pour over ice

Fun Fact: gyokuro is high in umami & theanine, so you can eat the leaves after brewing too! Add some ponzu or salt and enjoy the benefits of gyokuro.

Twilight Blossom

Ryuall's original color-changing magical tea. It's sencha green tea fused with butterfly pea flowers and a hint of lemongrass. It's refreshing hot or iced, and it's perfect a mocktail (or a cocktail).

For hot:

1. heat up 8oz water to 165-185°F (75-85°C)

2. add 1/2 tea spoon of sencha leaves (2-3g)

3. brew & wait for 1-2 mins

For iced:

1. heat up 8oz water to 165-185°F (75-85°C)

2. add 1/2-1 tea spoon of sencha leaves (3-4g)

3. brew & wait for 1-2 mins

4. pour over ice

5. add a couple drops of lemon to enjoy its color changing effect

The teas we used:

Yabukita | Umegashima’s Sencha

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Hojicha + Strawberry

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Genmaicha | First Harvest | Sencha + Roasted Rice

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Gyokuro | Asahina First Harvest

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Twilight Blossom | Color Changing Tea

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Variety Packs

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The tea pot we used:

Kyusu

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