For hundreds of years, green tea has been brewed and enjoyed. Originating in China, green tea soon became an important part of formal tea ceremonies in China, as well as Japan. These rituals continue to be a huge part of the Asian culture, which involves guests being served with the best green tea available.
Japanese Tea Ceremony
When looking at the Japanese tea ceremony, this special occasion has been a longstanding ritual steeped in tradition. While this ceremony is hundreds of years old, it is still a vital part of society today. The type of tea served for the ceremony is called Macha, which is powdered green tea. However, the flavor of the tea is second to the actual ceremony.
Typically, the tea ceremony occurs over a 45-minute period but centuries ago, it could last anywhere from four to five hours. Keep in mind that the people that lead the Japanese tea ceremony are tea masters, people who have studied tea and mastered the ability to arrange flowers, apparel, and the making of tea, which are all important elements of the ceremony.
Guests enter the tearoom or tea house where they look at the flowers, artwork, and utensils for the tea. Next, each guest would kneel and then sit after which time they are served sweets, which commonly consist of soft cakes made from bean paste. While eating, the guests watch the Chinese green tea being prepared. Interestingly, a leaf practitioner is the one that makes the tea, a person who has gone through in-depth training and spent years studying the appropriate way of making and serving guests of a tea ceremony.
Another important aspect of the tea ceremony is the tea utensils, which have been passed down within families for centuries. The traditional utensils consist of iron kettles, tea bowls, bamboo water scoops, and Japanese tea cups.
Chinese Tea Ceremony
Tea ceremonies are also a part of the Chinese culture although in this country, they are more for special occasions. In this case, the special event is the purpose of the ceremony and based on the event, the type of green tea would be served, such as gunpowder green tea, Chai green tea, flavored green tea, and others.
Although the Chinese tea ceremony could be for any occasion, it is most commonly associated with weddings. On the day of the marriage early in the morning, the bride would serve her parents tea within their home just prior to the groom showing up. Then once the wedding ceremony was complete, the bride and groom would serve the groom’s family tea together.
For this tradition, the couple would kneel in front of the groom’s family and the process of serving them tea is to show respect and honor. During the Chinese tea ceremony for a wedding, the couple would be provided with red envelopes from various family members, with jewelry or money inside.
In addition, the Chinese wedding ceremony involves a number of symbols such as dates, lotus seeds, and others. These symbols symbolize babies that would be born soon after the couple weds, along with the bride and groom having a happy, long life.
Green Tea as a Daily Beverage
For all the millions of people around the world outside of Asia, green tea is simply enjoyed because of its refreshing flavor but also the long list of health benefits. Studies now show that drinking three cups of green tea daily protects the body from illness. This type of tea contains high levels of antioxidants that can prevent and fight heart disease, high cholesterol, and even some forms of cancer. Additionally, studies show that because of green tea metabolism properties, it helps with weight loss and can regulate insulin, great for people with diabetes.
Today, many people suffering from cancer are turning away from traditional chemotherapy and choosing green tea as a nontraditional treatment instead. However, for people that have been on chemotherapy, adding green tea actually makes this aggressive treatment more effective. In fact, studies have been done that compare people on chemotherapy drinking green tea versus those not drinking green tea and for those that have three cups a day, the chemotherapy worked better.
If you were interested in making your own variety of green tea, you would first need to determine the variety you like. Of course, with so many possibilities, narrowing your choices down to just one might be challenging. Just in China alone, each of the small towns has multiple varieties of green tea.
Although you can ultimately choose what you like best, the following are some of the more popular choices:
Gunpowder Green Tea – This variety has a smoky flavor and is made by rolling pearl very tight that when being brewed, would slowly unroll to expose a slight green color and leaves
Sencha – This type of Japanese green tea is grown near Mt. Fuji and is very popular, often used to entertain people in homes.
Of course, flavored green tea is another option, which means base green tea is flavored with things such as mint, vanilla, and Jasmine.
The goal is to brew the perfect cup of green tea, which means following precise steps. First, the kettle would be filled with purified or filtered cold water. While the water is heating on the stove, the teapot and your tea cups would be filled with warm water out of the tap to get them warm.
Once the water boils, it would be removed from the stove and the tap water in the teapot and cups discarded. The boiling water would need to sit off the heat for two minutes or until it reaches 160 degrees. Now, most other types of tea, such as Chinese white tea, oolong tea, and black tea are served at 180 degrees. Next, one teaspoon of loose green tea would be added to the cup and the hot water poured into the cup.
The important part of brewing green tea is that you should not allow it to steep any longer than two minutes or it could become bitter. With high quality green tea leaves, you could easily get three infusions from the leaves.
Remember, no matter if you were buying green tea for a traditional tea ceremony, as a means of building a healthier body, or simply because you love the flavor, you will not be disappointed. Once you taste the soothing flavor of green tea, you will understand why it has been such a vital part of the Asian culture for so many years.
