Japanese Cast Iron Tea Kettles: A History of the Tetsubin
You may have heard or seen Japanese tea lovers refer to a tetsubin (鉄瓶, which means ‘iron kettle’) but may not have been entirely sure...
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Any Japanese tea is delicious both hot or cold, although, during warm weather, it’s no surprise that many prefer to drink cold tea. This is a full guide to help you enjoy your Japanese teas cold, whether you always prefer your teas iced or you want to change things up for the warmer months. There are different methods to brew your iced teas and the final products are completely different in taste based on the method you chose to use. There are cold brew methods such as Mizudashi and Kooridashi, as well as the traditional hot brew over ice method to make regular iced tea. Follow along with our guide below to see which Japanese iced tea is right for you, and how you can make and enjoy your own at home.
Green Teas
Iced green teas are super refreshing and perfect for when you need a quick pick-me-up or a palette cleanser with your meals. Packed with extraordinary health benefits from high concentrations of catechins, enjoy a variety of green teas with various caffeine levels. They are versatile tea that you can drink throughout your day and is the most popular in Japan.
Herbal Teas
Iced herbal teas are a foolproof, no caffeine option that is perfect for everybody at any time of day. Herbal teas come with great health properties including promoting good heart health and digestion. Pairs well with all meals and is a popular choice for muggy summers.
Indeed, the cold brew method will always get you a sweeter and smoother taste without any bitterness because the cold water keeps the astringent flavors from catechins released into the brew. If you want a tea with more sweetness and umami, you should try a cold brew method.
However, cold brew methods will take more time as the tea leaves need to steep longer to open up and release their flavors into the water. Many people say that the wait is worth it for the sweet umami flavor. Cold brews also have less caffeine as it does not extract as much of the tea leaves as hot water would. If you are looking to have a lot of caffeine, the traditional hot brew over ice method might be for you. On the other hand, if you are trying to limit your caffeine intake, cold brew may be the way to go.
Japanese teas have great health benefits, especially because of their light processing methods. In particular, the cold brew method extracts more catechin, which means it may release more nutrients from the tea leaves in comparison to standard hot brewing.
** For a faster cup of tea, use 2-3 times more tea leaves with the same amount of water. When finished brewing, pour directly on top of the ice. The remaining tea leaves can be used to make cold brews!
Mizudashi – Leaves In Cold Water Method
** For a bolder flavor and aroma, steep the loose tea in water without the filter, so the leaves have space to move around and extract properly.
Kooridashi – “Ice Brew” Method
** This method is recommended for high-grade teas such as Gyokuro. Try it with our other green tea varieties as well.
We love our Japanese iced teas and hope you will too. A popular iced tea beverage we didn’t mention here is iced matcha lattes and iced hojicha lattes– both delicious and worth trying as well.
If you tried out any of our iced tea brewing methods, let us know how it went!
If you want to read more articles on brewing guides, check them out here:
You may have heard or seen Japanese tea lovers refer to a tetsubin (鉄瓶, which means ‘iron kettle’) but may not have been entirely sure...
Read More >
The world of tea becomes so much more vast once you begin to consider loose leaf tea options. Having a cup of loose leaf tea...
Read More >
Any green tea lover would agree that not only is green tea a healthy and delicious beverage, it is also the perfect addition to many...
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