Water temperature is one of the most important factors to brew Japanese tea beautifully. This is because you can adjust your tea taste by water temperature.
Catechins, Caffeine, Amino acids are the main components of Japanese tea. They affect the taste of tea. The main components behind bitterness and astringency are Catechins and Caffeine.
Amino acid is usually credited for the sweetness and umami. Amino acid is easily dissolved regardless of water temperature, on the other hand the release of Catechins and Caffeine increase with higher temperature. So you can adjust the taste by water temperature.
For example, when you brew Gyokuro, we recommend to use 50 degrees water so that you can enjoy it’s umami more. For Sencha, we recommend to use 70 degrees water to enjoy it’s perfect balance of Umami, pleasant astringency and bitterness. On the other hand, Japanese people like to use hotter water to dissolve more Catechins and Caffeine to enjoy refreshing tea.
