Even if you don't have access to a kyūsu or a yunomi, you can use your home teapot to brew tea and enjoy it in a regular teacup. We recommend a teapot with a tea strainer and a heat-resistant glass or a teacup with a white interior to show off the beautiful color of the green tea.The basic procedure is the same as for the kyūsu.
How to brew tea in a teapot
STEP01
If you want to adjust the water temperature, you can pour hot water into your teacup once before pouring it into the teapot, and you will find that you have lowered the water temperature by 5 to 10 degrees Celsius. By warming the teacup you will have also prevented the tea from getting cold. The drop in temperature evidenced by this technique depends on the ambient temperature and the season.
STEP02
Place the tea leaves in the strainer of the teapot and wait for the hot water in the teacup to cool down.
STEP03
If you can hold the teacup in your hands for three seconds, it means the water is about 70 degrees Celsius.
STEP04
Wait for one to one and a half minutes. Depending on how long you wait, the balance of the flavor and aroma will change.
STEP05
Pour the tea from the teapot into the teacup. If you have more than one teacup, pour a small amount into each teacup several times to even out the thickness of the tea.
STEP06
You are done! Enjoy differences in flavor and astringency depending on the temperature of the water and how long you want to steep the tea.
STEP07
Be sure to drain every last drop of tea from the pot. If any hot water lingers on the tea leaves, the flavor of the tea will seep out into that water and the taste of the second infusion will be diminished.
STEP08
From the second infusion, pour the water directly into the teapot and wait a minute or so, which is shorter than the first infusion, before pouring it into the teacup to enjoy the change in flavor from the first infusion. Some teas can be brewed up to three times.
STEP09
When the taste of the tea becomes difficult to detect, rinse out the teapot and reheat the tea from STEP 1 with new leaves.
