🍵 NOTES - TEA You call it tea if it first came to your country via by ship, but you call it chai if it first came to your country over land. This is because speakers in the port cities of the Chinese coastal province of Fujian called it “te”, while overland Manderin-speaking traders used the word “chá.” (“Tea if by sea, cha if by land: Why the world only has two words for tea”) Start buying loose tea instead of tea bags. Loose tea is a higher quality tea. | Tea | Temp | Minutes | | -------------- | ------------- | ------- | | Black | 95°C / 205°F | 3 - 5 | | Oolong/White | 85°C / 185°F | 3 - 4 | | Green/Yellow | 80°C / 176°F | 2 - 3 | | Herbal/Tisanes | 100°C / 212°F | 5 - 15 | ryokucha = green tea ocha = tea nihoncha = japanese tea aracha = raw green tea shincha = first flush tea sencha = When serving Japanese tea, it’s preferable to pour a little into each cup, about a third, then repeat until they are all full. This way, all cups have the same flavour and brewing. It is important to pour out all the liquid contained in the kyusu, as otherwise the tea will continue to brew, making the tea leaves unsuitable for a second or third infusion. Harney & Sons - black tea In Pursuit of Tea Ippodo Tea - green tea Harney & Sons