Fukamushi Sencha (深蒸し煎茶, deep-steamed sencha)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Kyūsu (Japanese side-handled teapot) with a fine sasame or stainless filter; a small teapot plus fine-mesh strainer works as a stand-in
• •Yuzamashi (water-cooling pitcher), or the serving cups used to cool and measure the water
• •Two yunomi, or small handleless teacups
• •Kitchen thermometer, optional but useful while learning

Instructions

1. 1

   Measure the leaf

   Measure 6g fukamushi sencha into a dry kyūsu, the Japanese side-handled teapot. The leaf should be fine, deep green, and uneven, with smaller broken pieces than ordinary sencha. Don't be troubled by the powdery bits. They are why fukamushi brews quickly and why a fine filter matters.

   Too little leaf makes a thin cup, so the answer is not more steeping time. Use enough leaf and keep the infusion short.
2. 2

   Cool the water

   Bring the soft water to a full boil, then pour 80ml into each of two yunomi or small cups. Let it cool to about 70°C. Without a thermometer, wait until the cup feels hot but comfortable to hold. Boiling gives you a clean starting point; cooling protects the tea from the bitter, dry edge that hot water pulls out too fast.

   Water temperature is the first secret of sencha. Fukamushi's smaller leaf pieces extract quickly, so boiling water is especially unforgiving.
3. 3

   Steep briefly

   Pour the cooled water from the cups over the leaves in the kyūsu, close the lid, and wait 45 seconds. Keep the pot still. The broken leaves give up color and sweetness fast, and shaking the pot asks for roughness before you need it.

   The clock is the second secret. A short steep keeps the cup mellow while still letting the dark green body come through.
4. 4

   Pour evenly

   Pour a little tea into the first cup, a little into the second, then reverse the order and repeat until the kyūsu is empty. Tip the pot gently for the last drops. Those last drops are dense and sweet, and leaving liquid behind makes the cups uneven while the leaves keep extracting in the pot.

5. 5

   Brew again

   Open the kyūsu lid between infusions so the leaves cool. For the second infusion, add 160ml water at about 80°C and pour after 10 to 15 seconds. For a third, use water around 85°C and steep 30 seconds. The leaves are already open, so the second cup needs almost no waiting; the warmer third cup coaxes out the later aroma after the first sweetness has had its turn.

Chef Tips

• •Buy fukamushi sencha from a seller who names the harvest year and region. The dry leaf should smell clean, sweet-green, and alive, not dusty. In late April and May, shincha fukamushi is shun, the first flush at its prime.
• •Use soft water if you can. Hard water dulls the color and makes the flavor feel flat, which is a poor bargain when the whole cup is leaf and water.
• •If the kyūsu filter clogs, don't scrape at the leaves. Tilt the pot back, pause, then pour again slowly. The fine leaf is part of the style, not a mistake.
• •If the cup tastes bitter, lower the water temperature or shorten the steep before blaming the tea. Sencha is a precise teacher, but not a cruel one.
• •No sugar, no lemon. If you want a sweet beside it, serve one small higashi or wagashi and let the tea stay itself.

Advance Preparation

• •Do not brew warm fukamushi ahead. The aroma fades and the cup grows rough as it sits, so make it just before drinking.
• •You can measure the tea and set out the tools earlier in the day. Keep the leaves sealed until brewing so their fragrance stays in the bag, not in the room.
• •For summer make-ahead, make mizudashi fukamushi sencha: steep 8g leaves in 500ml cold soft water for 3 to 4 hours in the refrigerator, then strain gently. That is the hot-weather cup, not the same as this warm brew.
• •Once opened, keep sencha tightly sealed in a cool, dark place and use it within a month. If you refrigerate it, let the pouch come to room temperature before opening so moisture doesn't settle on the leaves.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)