Guide To Ice Water Infusion

This hails from Japan, and is a method mostly used with Sencha and Gyokuro to pull out more of the amino acids and much less of the astringency and bitterness that comes from the catechins.

In a small pitcher add ice cubes to cold water to get ice cold water.

Add about 10g of Sencha to your pot or brewing vessel, and shake to evenly spread out the leaves.

Pour enough of the ice water to just cover the leaves, and leave to infuse for three minutes.

Pour and enjoy. You will end up with a small amount of liquor with a very strong umami flavour and lots of sweetness.

This process can be repeated several times, I have got three Ice steeps from one set of leaves and still had the strong umami experience. In Japan after the first steep they would infuse the leaves with hot water, though not for very long (much less time than usual) for a second and third steeps.

I am experimenting with other green and white teas. You don’t get the umami with non Japanese teas but it is still an enjoyable drink.