Quality Differences
The quality specifications are basically similar to the quality differences of sencha or gyokuro. Please refer to the pages of sencha or gyokuro.
Konacha is a tea produced by gathering the tiny broken fragments of tea that have dropped out during the manufacturing process of sencha and gyokuro. Because the fragments are so tiny, konacha easily releases it's taste. In addition, because a lot of powder is also released in the extract, konacha has a very rich taste and a very strong colour. Among konacha, mecha and jinko are the types that refer to tea produced from small leaves or sprouts of which the edges are rolled into balls (we call them Sen Jinko and Gyoku Jinko, for konacha from Sencha and Gyokuro respectively). Because various tastes are condensed into small leaves and sprouts, this kind of tea is characterised by an extremely rich flavour and aroma.
The quality specifications are basically similar to the quality differences of sencha or gyokuro. Please refer to the pages of sencha or gyokuro.
Because konacha and jinko have strong tastes, it is necessary not to brew for too long. Infuse the tea quickly within a short time to enjoy a rich but profound taste.
(1) Insert 6 g (approx. 1 teaspoons) of tea leaves into a tea strainer. Open the lid of a tea pot and place the tea strainer over the opening of the pot.
(2) Slowly pour 300 ml of hot water at 90 ℃ into the strainer. Be careful when handling hot water!
(3) Pour the tea brewed inside of the pot into several cups alternately.
To bring out sweetness of gyokuro powder, slightly lower the temperature of hot water. If you brew only with a tea pot but without a tea strainer, refer to the brewing method of sencha or gyokuro.