Sencha: Japanese Steamed Green Tea Brewed in a Kyusu

Steps

1. 1Measure the leaves into the kyusu

   Set the empty, dry kyusu on the counter, or on a scale if you have one. Scoop in about 2½ tea scoops of leaves, about 5 g. Shake the pot gently so the leaves settle in an even layer over the strainer. Stop when the leaves lie loose and dry across the bottom with no clumps.

2. 2Fill the two teacups to 80% with boiled water

   Bring the soft water to a full boil. Pour it into the two teacups until each is about 80% full, leaving a clear band below the rim. This measures exactly the water you will drink and warms the cups at the same time, so the tea does not lose heat when it lands. The cups are ready when they feel hot through the sides and steam rises steadily from both.

3. 3Cool the water by moving it to another vessel

   Pour the water from both cups into the yuzamashi or a spare teacup, and add the extra splash from the kettle. The leaves soak up about four times their own weight in water, so this splash keeps your two cups full at the end. Each move between vessels drops the water about 10–20°F (5–10°C). Aim for about 160°F (70°C) for superior sencha, which needs one more move after this one. Medium grade wants about 195°F (90°C), which the water already reaches after the first pour into the cups, so for medium grade skip this move: add the splash to the cups and pour the cup water straight over the leaves in step 4.

   Count the pours, not the degrees

   The vessels are your thermometer. Boiling water poured once lands at about 195°F (90°C), and poured again it reaches about 175°F (80°C). Keep the same cups and pitcher each time, and you will learn exactly how many moves your grade of sencha wants.

4. 4Pour over the leaves and wait 1 minute 30 seconds

   Pour the cooled water gently over the leaves in the kyusu. Put the lid on and start the timer for 1 minute 30 seconds. Leave the pot where it is, with the lid on, and do not swirl or shake it. When you lift the lid at the end, the leaves have softened and opened into flat, bright-green pieces.

5. 5Pour into both cups in turn, down to the last drop

   Hold the lid with one finger and pour a little into cup 1, then a little into cup 2. Come back the other way, cup 2 and then cup 1, and keep going back and forth in small amounts. The tea at the bottom of the pot is stronger than at the top, and this alternating pour shares it out evenly. Pour until the last drop leaves the spout. You are done when both cups match in colour and the pot drips nothing more.

   The last drop protects the second cup

   Tea left sitting in the kyusu keeps steeping, and the second infusion comes out harsh. Draining the pot completely leaves the leaves damp but empty, ready for fresh water.

6. 6Brew the second infusion with hotter water

   The cups now hold the first pour, so pour a little more boiled water into the empty yuzamashi (or spare teacup) instead, enough for two cups. With only one move it lands slightly hotter than the first time. Pour it over the opened leaves and put the lid on. Steep for about 45 seconds, then pour into the two cups in turn, down to the last drop, just as before. The second cup pours a deeper green than the first.