Kyō Bancha (京番茶, Kyoto smoke-bancha)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Tetsubin kettle, electric kettle, or small saucepan
• •Dobin or large kyusu, or a heatproof glass jug
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Yunomi cups

Instructions

1. 1

   Check the leaves

   Kyō bancha should look broad, crinkled, and twiggy, not tightly rolled into green needles. Smell the bag before you brew. The smoke should be clean and woody, never damp, sour, or stale. Sourcing comes first here, because weak leaves make a thin cup that timing cannot rescue.

2. 2

   Boil the water

   Bring the water to a full boil. This is 100 C, the water that would make sencha harsh, but Kyō bancha is built from mature roasted leaves and stems. High heat draws out the woody sweetness and gives the cup its body. Lukewarm water leaves the smoke sitting on top like a smell instead of a flavor.

   For tea, water temperature is the first secret. Here the correct temperature is not gentle. It is boiling.
3. 3

   Measure the leaves

   Put 10 to 12g of Kyō bancha into a dobin, a large kyusu, or a heatproof jug. A small French press works if the leaves can move freely. Don't crush them to fit the pot. Broken leaf dust extracts fast and dry, while the large leaves give the clear smoky cup you came for.

   The dose and steeping time are the second secret. Measure by weight once or twice, then your hand will learn what this bulky tea looks like.
4. 4

   Steep the tea

   Pour the boiling water over the leaves, cover the vessel, and steep for 3 minutes for a lighter cup or 5 minutes for a deeper one. The tea should turn clear amber-brown and smell of dry wood, warm grain, and clean smoke. Leave it alone while it steeps. Stirring roughs up the leaves and pulls out more dryness than flavor.

5. 5

   Strain completely

   Strain the tea into a pitcher or directly into yunomi cups, pouring the pot completely. Wet leaves left sitting in hot water keep giving tannin and smoke until the cup turns flat and severe. If you want a second infusion, add boiling water again and steep 2 to 3 minutes.

6. 6

   Serve plainly

   Pour each yunomi only halfway to two-thirds full, so the cup can be held comfortably and the surface has room. Serve as it is, with a small dry sweet at the side if you like. Don't put sugar in the tea. The faint sweetness belongs to the leaf, and we should not cover it.

Chef Tips

• •Buy by the name Kyō bancha or iribancha. Ordinary bancha, especially from eastern Japan, is often a different tea, greener and less smoky. Hōjicha is roasted too, but its rolled or stem-heavy leaf gives another cup entirely.
• •Use boiling water without apology. Lower temperature is refinement for sencha and gyokuro, not for this tea. Kyō bancha wants heat to reach through the large roasted leaves.
• •Give the leaves room. A dobin or large kyusu is the old tool, but a heatproof glass jug and fine strainer do honest work at home.
• •Keep the dry leaves sealed and away from strong smells. Tea borrows odors quickly, and this one already carries its own smoke. It needs no help from the cupboard.

Advance Preparation

• •Kyō bancha is best brewed just before drinking. The work is only a few minutes, so there is little to gain by making it ahead.
• •Brewed tea can be cooled, strained, and refrigerated for the same day. Drink it within 24 hours, before the smoke turns dull.
• •Do not leave wet leaves overnight for another brew. They lose their clean scent and give a tired second cup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 255g)