{"id":48,"date":"2009-02-06T08:19:26","date_gmt":"2009-02-06T12:19:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/japanese\/?p=48"},"modified":"2018-07-27T18:03:15","modified_gmt":"2018-07-27T18:03:15","slug":"japanese-thirst-quenchers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/japanese\/japanese-thirst-quenchers\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese Thirst Quenchers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes when I throw a get together with friends and aquaintances, I have guests who arrive earlier than the others.\u00a0 To kill the time and be hospitable as well, I often place a bowl full of senbei (\u305b\u3093\u3079\u3044<\/strong>) with some tea.\u00a0 Senbei (\u305b\u3093\u3079\u3044<\/strong>) crackers can really make your throat dry, so it’s good to serve some tea to go with it.\u00a0 Here are two teas\u00a0that I serve depending on the guest:<\/p>\n

\"\"The first tea is called bancha (\u756a\u8336<\/strong>).\u00a0 Bancha (\u756a\u8336<\/strong>) is cheaper than most teas and easily available in Japan.\u00a0 It’s leaves are considered of low grade, so it’s sort like a ‘disposable tea.’\u00a0 ‘Disposable’ meaning that you can drink and serve it all you want without having to worry about not finnishing it.\u00a0 Also,\u00a0the term\u00a0‘leaves’ is misleading when it comes to bancha (\u756a\u8336<\/strong>).\u00a0 Bancha (\u756a\u8336<\/strong>) is mostly made out of the\u00a0twigs of plants, although some leaves are used as well.\u00a0 The interesting thing about bancha (\u756a\u8336<\/strong>) is that you shouldn’t let the leaves boil in hot water for more than 5 minutes.\u00a0 Anything longer than 5 mintues tends to give the tea an adverse, metallic taste, which is really unpleasant to the drinker.\u00a0 For some reason drinking bancha (\u756a\u8336<\/strong>) reminds me of being on a farm.\u00a0 Maybe it’s because it has a strong straw (no, not manure, it’s not that kind of a farm smell) smell to it!<\/p>\n

The next tea is what I would serve more distinguised guests or people who would know the difference between low and high quality teas.\u00a0 This tea is called gyokuro (\u7389\u9732<\/strong>).\u00a0 Gyokuro (\u7389\u9732<\/strong>) is expensive because it’s a high quality tea made from rare leaves.\u00a0 Also, gyokuro (\u7389\u9732<\/strong>) takes a longer time to prepare than bancha (\u756a\u8336<\/strong>) teas.\u00a0 Gyokuro (\u7389\u9732<\/strong>) is made from water that has been heated with low heat.\u00a0 You might keep your guests waiting, so it’s best to prepare the gyokuro (\u7389\u9732<\/strong>) ahead of time if you plan on serving it.\u00a0 I like gyokuro (\u7389\u9732<\/strong>) because it’s sweeter than most teas.\u00a0 The sweetness is due to the careful preparation process gyokuro (\u7389\u9732<\/strong>) leaves undergo by tea leaf makers.\u00a0 It’s a delicate process and complicated as well; which is why it’s so expensive.\u00a0 Sometimes I have the tendency to forget and leave things on the stove, (to the point where I almost burn the house down) and if you’re the same way, gyokuro (\u7389\u9732<\/strong>) may be too much to handle.\u00a0 It may be better to start off with bancha (\u756a\u8336<\/strong>) tea and\u00a0ease your way up\u00a0from there.<\/p>\n

Ok, everyone that’s it for today.\u00a0 Hope you enjoy some tea as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes when I throw a get together with friends and aquaintances, I have guests who arrive earlier than the others.\u00a0 To kill the time and be hospitable as well, I often place a bowl full of senbei (\u305b\u3093\u3079\u3044) with some tea.\u00a0 Senbei (\u305b\u3093\u3079\u3044) crackers can really make your throat dry, so it’s good to serve…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2694,2846],"class_list":["post-48","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-beverages","tag-tea"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t