Automne 2011 #26

With my newly acquired toy - the Electric Milk Frother, I embarked onto another of my "kitchen experiments" in creating the unorthodox "Sado-style Green Tea" and the Green Tea Latte that I love at Starbucks.

I've got 2 types of green tea powder - I chose the one on the right this time.
No specific reasons, just feel like it.

I added 2 teaspoons of green tea powder, I'm a green tea lover, 2 teaspoons could be a little strong for some people. When I go Japan, I will practically choose green tea anything. This nation has completely optimised and utilised the properties and merits of green tea. They do the best green tea and green tea products.

Left: My electric milk frotter in action. Right: The traditional green tea you get during a Sado Tea Ceremony with a bamboo whisker (茶筅 chasen).

Truth be told, I think the milk frotter is one of the best equipment one could have in the kitchen if you are lazy like me (cos' the real thing using the bamboo whisker got my wrist aching and I still couldn't get the same foamy effect) but would want to enjoy a nice cup of foamy and light sado-style green tea every evening. As you can see from the pic on the left, I stopped right after a good 30-seconds of electric whisking. I'm not a tea expert, but the consistency and texture tasted identical to what I had during a sado ceremony. 

 Unorthodox "Modern" VS Traditional.

I was self-amusing by thinking what would happen if the host of a Sado ceremony takes out an electric milk frother instead of the usual bamboo whisker? LOL. That is such a hilarious, ironical sight that would never happen because Japanese are too much protocol-abiding to even think about this in the first place.

Subsequently, I did another glass with the previous steps repeated, but with another portion of milk added into it. I never knew Green Tea Latte is so simple with the electric milk frotter, and I felt a little bit cheated for paying Starbucks so much for such a simple cup of beverage. I made a second glass after my first DIY cup of Green Tea Latte.

Tips:

(1) A tall glass. If you can see from the pics, the foam generated can reach the top of the glass that I have, which is already not tall enough, but it is the tallest glass I have in the house. Less is more, go no more than half of the glass capacity.

(2) Water temperature is a critical factor in bringing out the best qualities of green tea. If the water temperature is too hot, the tea will be too bitter and much of its delicate aroma will be lost; if the water temperature is too cool, the full flavor contained in the leaves will not be extracted.

A number of substances in the leaf contribute to the flavor and aroma of green tea. The overall flavor and sweetness of green tea is determined by a variety of amino acids and natural sugars. Bitterness and astringency are contributed by polyphenols ("tannins"). Amino acids dissolve at 60 °C while tannins dissolve at 80°C. Therefore, brewing green tea at lower temperatures will ensure that its sweet and complex flavors will not be overpowered by the bitter-tasting flavors.

As a general guideline, green teas taste best when brewed at temperatures between 60 °C - 85°C. The grade of the tea and the time of its harvest will also influence the appropriate steeping temperature. Green teas picked earlier in the spring will benefit from lower temperature brewing due to their overall higher levels of amino acids.

Gyokuro (玉露), one of the highest grades, is best brewed at 50°C - 60°C. Spring-picked Sencha (煎茶) tastes best at 70°C - 80°C. Summer-harvested Bancha (番茶) and Genmaicha (玄米茶) will exhibit their best flavor with a short infusion at higher temperatures of 80°C - 90°C.