How to Prepare a Delicious Tea
　
　
Even with a good quality product, the flavor and taste of your tea depend on the way you prepare it. The most important thing in preparing tea is the temperature of the water used. In general, the higher the quality of the tea product, the lower the temperature of the water. This is because the taste of high-quality tea depends on an amino acid, and when the water is too hot, that acid is obstructed by other elements, making the tea taste bitter. To fix a delicious tea, follow the directions below.

Step 1. In preparing any type of tea, first boil the water.
First of all, boil the watter.

Step 2. The quantity of water should correspond exactly with the number of cups to serve at a time (see the reason in Step 4). Thus, after you boil the water, pour it into the cups and cool it to the required temperature for your type of tea (for instance 50 degrees for the Gyokuro tea and 80 degrees for sencha).
Pour it into the cups.

Step 3. Then put the tea product and the water from the cups into the teapot. Wait for about one minute before serving. If you serve several cups, do not fill one cup before passing to another. Pour small quantities in each cup first, then come back to the first cup and continue the cycle until the water finishes in the pot. No water should be left inside the teapot, hence the necessity to measure the quantity of water before putting it into the teapot.
Put the tea into the pot.
Step 4. You may use the content of a teapot for up to three services. After the first service, follow Steps 1-3 for the second and third services. However, now you should serve the tea immediately after you pour the water inside the teapot. Waiting makes your tea taste bitter.

(The above was adapted from "The Merits of Green Tea" by the Japan Tea Industry Association.)

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