Tea ceremony

[BagOfCrisps 24]

Here's perhaps a silly question.

 

Tea ceremony. The tea is really really bitter, right? Is it always like that, or are there variations?

And do people like it, is the ceremony for the actual tea...or for the ceremony?

 

Oh so many questions!

[Tubby Beaver 209]

Ceremony......shite.....just give me my fu##ing tea!!

 

Tea........good

 

Yes it is a bit more bitter than we are used to, if u make it yourself, just use less tea

[snowdude 44]

Bitter green tea is normally expensive tea and is used at tea ceremonies.

 

There are many kinds and strength variations. The water also makes a huge difference as well.

 

Sweet tasting very soft water makes really nice green tea as it takes away some of the bitterness of good tea leaving a smoother taste.

That same water makes terrible English tea however.

 

To make good tasting green tea it is also important to poor the water when it is around 90oC and not when boiling.

 

Petsonally I prefer the cheaper green tea as it doesnt have the bitterness.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

I like genmai cha best

[Metabo Oyaji 71]

I quite like bitter green tea. English tea tastes a bit leaden to me. As does oolong-cha.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

Black tea over here is piss

[@tokyo 14]

I have only tasted it once, and that was enough.

[big-will 7]

It thought it was mostly about the ceremony rather than the tea.

The one time I tasted it , it was bloody awful.

[NoFakie 45]

Here's perhaps a silly question.

 

Tea ceremony. The tea is really really bitter, right? Is it always like that, or are there variations?

And do people like it, is the ceremony for the actual tea...or for the ceremony?

 

Oh so many questions!

 

The tea in a tea ceremony is usually macha which is powdered green tea. So yeah, you're drinking a powdered version of tea leaves, which means it's bitter. Part of the ceremony involves eating sweets made out of almost pure sugar, so they do try and balance with something. fwiw, the only time I went to Italy, I noticed basically every single local loading their espressos with sugar. I therefore think its laughable when some non-Italian coffee know-it-all thinks they're great for drinking espresso as is as if its the right way or the only way to drink it.

 

Though macha powdered tea is the main one, there is also a tea ceremony around sencha, standard green tea brewed with leaves that are removed after infusion. The resulting tea is not bitter.

 

As for what the ceremony is for, some people will enjoy it no doubt, but its also one of those things that function a bit like proper ladies going to finishing school.

[BagOfCrisps 24]

Thanks folks.