Enjoy cold tea

ICY TEAS, COOL OFFERS / Summer, 2022

Reading time: about 15 minutes

Tea is a wonderful beverage we all know as a refreshing, delicious, hot drink. But in the heat of summer, we are not always in the mood for a warm drink. Luckily, there are several ways to enjoy tea, even if the weather is hot. Let’s learn about how to make cold teas!

Information that is covered:

Matcha made cold
Seasonal iced matcha
Iced loose leaf teas
Mizudashi - cold brew loose leaf teas
Recommended tea tools

Matcha made cold

In general, matcha is usually made with hot water. The ideal temperature of the water is essential to make matcha foam well. But there are some matcha teas created with a special technique (freeze-drying) that allows these matcha powders to still foam even if prepared with cold water.

Marukyu Koyamaen offers such teas:

Matcha Awaraku
Thanks to its freeze-dried producing technology Awaraku does not need to be sifted before making tea, and even though it is suitable for hot matcha, it is more recommended to prepare cold. It has a grassy, fresh taste.

☞ 40 g Branded CAN > $18.36
☞ 5 x 1.5 g one cup pouches > $6.48
☞ 100 x 1.5 g one cup pouches > $129.60

Matcha Suzukumo
Similar to Matcha Awaraku, Suzukomo was made with freeze-drying technology, needs no sifting, and is best enjoyed when made cold. Has a creamy taste with floral notes.

☞ 40 g Branded CAN > $28.08
☞ 5 x 1.5 g one cup pouches > $8.64
☞ 100 x 1.5 g one cup pouches > $172.80

We also offer sugared green tea powder delicious for ice soft drinks:

Sweet Green Tea
Matcha sweetened with sugar is characterized by a light, sweet, yet rich flavor. Especially good for cold soft drinks like Matcha Latte or Matcha Lemonade. Available in a box by Hekisuien or single-serving sticks by Hokoen.

☞ 120 g Sazen BOX > $8.10
☞ 1000 g BULK > $54

➤ HOW TO MAKE COLD MATCHA

1 ➢ Put 2 g (0.4 US tsp, 1 teaspoon, or 2 chashaku scoops) matcha powder into a suitable tea bowl.
2 ➢ Pour about 80 ml (2.5 fl oz) cold spring water or once boiled but cooled down tap water over the matcha powder.
3 ➢ Whisk with a chasen (tea whisk) until foamy.
4 ➢ Add some ice.

➤ HOW TO MAKE SWEET GREEN TEA

1 ➢ Put 20 g (4 US tsp) sweetened matcha into your cup.
2 ➢ Pour in about 150 ml (5 fl oz) of cold water (or any kind of milk you like, e.g. normal, soy, almond, etc.).
3 ➢ Mix well and add ice.

TIP: For matcha lemonade, prepare it with spring water or even soda and spice with mint, herbals, or lemon juice to taste.

Seasonal iced matcha

Every year, some matcha makers come out with seasonal matcha blends inspired by the summer. These matcha teas are made with hot water then poured over ice, and are only available in summer.

Yamamasa Koyamaen offer such tea:

Reiyou Matcha
Matcha with a pleasantly refreshing, creamy taste. The manufacturer also recommends it prepared with cold water.

☞ 30 g Branded CAN > $16.20

Horii Shichimeien offers such teas:

Matcha Seseragi no Shiro
Usucha grade matcha blend created by Horii Chōjirō, highly respected tea master and owner of Horii Shichimein. It has a smooth, well-rounded taste.

☞ 30 g Branded CAN > $21.60

Matcha Seseragi no Mukashi
Koicha grade matcha was also created by Horii Chōjirō. Seseragi no Mukashi is made of Samidori cultivar. It is a higher grade than Seseragi no Shiro, with a more complex, sweet, fruity, smooth flavor.

☞ 30 g Branded CAN > $32.40

HOW TO MAKE ICED MATCHA

1 ➢ Put 2 g (0.4 US tsp, 1 teaspoon, or 2 chashaku scoops) sifted matcha powder into a tea bowl.
2 ➢ Pour 30 ml (1 fl oz) about 40℃ (104°F) water over the matcha powder.
3 ➢ Whisk with a chasen (tea whisk) until foamy.
4 ➢ Put ice cubes into the ready matcha and enjoy it cold.

Iced LOOSE LEAF tea

Loose-leaf teas are usually made hot, but some are exceptionally delicious when you cool them down with ice. They have a more intense flavor with freshness and astringency.

Recommendations from SAZEN's original selection:

Chiran Tokujō Fukamushicha ⎼ Japanese Green Tea
This premium fukamushicha is made of high-quality tea leaves exposed to direct sunlight. After harvesting, the tea has been steamed for an extra-long time, which makes the shape of the tea leaves slightly finer and gives a deep taste with rich delicacy.

☞ 100 g Sazen BAG > $19.44
☞ 200 g Sazen BAG > $37.8
☞ 500 g BULK > $86.40

Matcha iri Genmaicha Genmyo ⎼ Japanese Green Tea Blended with Rice
A special gourmet blend of sencha leaves, powdered green tea, and roasted brown rice. Tea bushes are exposed to direct sunlight therefore the taste is characteristic and refreshing with a very pleasant roasted aroma of brown rice. It is a well-vitalizing tea with a nice fragrance.

☞ 100 g Sazen BAG > $9.72
☞ 200 g Sazen BAG > $18.36
☞ 500 g BULK > $41.04

Yame Koucha ⎼ Japanese Black Tea
This tea is rich in flavor and has a pleasant, sweet, fruity aftertaste.
Yame is mostly known for its Gyokuro, but the area is producing excellent black teas as well, cultivated from native Japanese tea cultivars. These cultivars are famous for being sweet without any lingering bitterness. A charismatic tea that is also exceptionally rich in antioxidants.

☞ 50 g Sazen BAG > $9.72
☞ 100 g Sazen BAG > $17.82
☞ 500 g BULK > $77.76

Kabusecha Akamine ⎼ Japanese Green Tea
Kabusecha literally means "shaded tea". About a week before picking tea leaves, tea fields are directly covered to be protected from the sunlight. Thanks to this method kabusecha has a sweet mellow taste with refreshing green notes.

☞ 100 g Sazen BAG > $19.44
☞ 200 g Sazen BAG > $37.80
☞ 500 g BULK > $86.40

Uji Karigane Wakatake ⎼ Japanese Green Tea
Karigane is a tea where tea leaves and tea stems are mixed.
It contains more vitamin C than other types of green tea and has a mildly bitter, slightly creamy taste. Uji Karigane is made of Sencha, when the tea bushes are exposed to direct sunlight, that is why its taste has a characteristic refreshing flavor with a nice ‘green’ aftertaste.

☞ 100 g Sazen BAG > $10.80
☞ 200 g Sazen BAG > $21.60
☞ 500 g BULK > $48.60

HOW TO MAKE ICED LOOSE LEAF TEA

1 ➢ Put 8 g (2 US tsp) of tea leaves into a large teapot.
2 ➢ Cool down boiled water to 85℃ (185ºF) and pour 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) into the teapot.
3 ➢ Steep for 50 seconds.
4 ➢ Fill a large pitcher (about the capacity of half a liter) and pour the tea over it.
5 ➢ Make another infusion, with 200 ml (6.7 fl oz) water, 50℃ (122ºF) water, and 1 minute steeping time.
6 ➢ Pour it in the same pitcher to mix the two infusions together and enjoy it cold.

Recommended tools: large teapot

Mizudashi - cold brew

Mizudashi is the tea-making technique when we make tea using cold water and ice. It brings out very special aromas and notes in the tea and makes truly delicious, refreshing tea. Tea made with this method results in very pleasant, mild, sweet flavored tea, especially compared to teas prepared with the above-mentioned iced tea method.

For this technique, we recommend Japanese, Chinese, and Taiwanese teas as well.

Recommended Japanese Teas for cold brewing:

Gyokuro Takamine
Green tea from shaded tea fields with a rich umami flavor, produced in Ujitawara, the southern part of Kyoto.
Gyokuro Karigane Ayatake
Tea stems blended with tasteful green tea from shaded tea fields in Kyoto, Japan. As a Karigane, it has a milder, sweeter taste.
Tongu Asutsuyu
Single-origin green tea cultivar with a roasted sweet potato aroma.
Tongu Saemidori
Single-origin green tea cultivar with a rich and sweet taste and a fresh, grassy aroma and lemongrass aftertaste.
Ureshino Kamairicha
Characteristic pan-fried green tea from Saga prefecture, Japan
Sencha Houjicha
Sencha Hōjicha is a roasted green tea made exclusively from first flush green tea leaves, and this is very much palpable in its freshness. It has a wonderful roasted taste.
Koucha Houjicha
Roasted black tea. Is fruity and amazingly sweet, with candy cane and honey notes present in both the fragrance and the flavor.

Recommended Chinese Teas for cold brewing:

Mo Li Hua Cha
Green tea produced in Fujian Province, scented 8 times by quality, fresh jasmine flowers.
Bai Mudan (White Peony)
A refreshing, rich, and sweet-tasting white tea from Fujian Province, made from only the freshest tea buds and 1 or 2 of the leaves right under the bud.
Feng Huang Dancong Mi Lan Xiang
Oolong tea from the Phoenix Mountains. The fragrance recalls orchid flowers with the thick aroma of flower honey and the forward note of passion fruit that appears a little later but stays the longest.
An Ji Huan Jin Ya
Green tea from Zhejiang Province is made of a variety of famous Bai Ye No.1 tea buds. The scent floating through the air when making this tea is pleasant; it presents the freshness of the Anji mountains, which is also there in the flavor. Its amino-acid level is 6-11%, exceptionally high, almost 4 times the amount in other green teas.
Dong Ting Bi Luo Chun
Dong Ting Bi Luo Chun from Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province is known as one of the great representatives of Chinese green tea because of its rich aromas, sweet aftertaste, and stunning appearance.

Recommended Taiwanese Teas for cold brewing:

Dong Fang Meiren Superior (Oriental Beauty)
Rare Taiwanese oolong tea made on only one tea farm in Taiwan picked in only one week in early June. Has the aroma of ripe fruit and honey, with a flavor like red tea.

HOW TO MAKE ICED LOOSE LEAF TEA

1 ➢ Put 10 g (2 US tsp) of tea leaves in a large tea maker.
2 ➢ Fill the tea maker with cold spring water (about 800–1000 ml).
3 ➢ Put the tea maker in the fridge and wait for at least 4 hours and enjoy it cold.

TIP ★ Prepare it in the evening before going to bed, so you can start the morning with a refreshing cup of mizudashi ice tea.
TIP ★ Flavor it with mint, lemongrass, etc.
TIP ★ You can make one more infusion, steeping time: 1–2 hours.

Recommended tools: HARIO Mizudashi tea maker or Tea drip and Pine Needle Teacup

Recommended tea tools for making cold tea

To make the best cold teas, and enjoy the best summer tea experience you need the suitable tools. Some of them are summer tools by function, some by design, but they are all a delightful addition to your summer tea time.

Hira chawan
“Hira” refers to the shape of the chawan: broad and flat. This shape, with its wide and open mouth, helps the matcha cool faster, as the cooling surface is bigger. With ice in it, it gives a perfect summer matcha experience.

Glass chawan
Cold touch and cool sight, a glass chawan brings a little extra to the summer tea times, especially when you add some ice to your matcha.

Gokuhira and Hiramaru Kyusu
These flat teapots are very ideal to make cold loose leaf tea. Either you prepare it with hot water and then cool it down, or you make mizudashi with the ice slowly melting and dripping on the leaves, these teapots are great additions to any tea lover’s collection.

Futanashi Kyusu
Futanashi kyusu is a lidless teapot. Without a lid that keeps the steam in, the tea can cool down faster, and you can see the tea leaves opening, which is especially important when making tea with cold water, so you know when the tea is ready.

HARIO Mizudashi tea maker and Tea dripper
HARIO Mizudashi tea maker and Tea dripper are both excellent tools to make mizudashi (cold brew) tea in a bigger quantity for a bigger group of people, friends, or tea parties.

Twistea
The perfect tool to make some ice tea on the go. All you need is a twist to separate the tea leaves from the water so you can make several infusions.

Accessories

Glass - Find the best glass accessories to make your summer tea time complete.

Trays - Serve teas on beautiful wooden trays to show elegance.

Teacups - No tea time can be complete without the perfect teacup, regardless of the season.

Yuzamashi (pitcher) - Use a yuzamashi to cool down the water, to make the most delicious teas.

Summer decorations

The decoration of tea tools is also inspired by summer: summer flowers like Ajisai (hydrangea), Aomomiji (green maple leaves), Kikyou (bellflower), Asagao (morning glory), Himawari (sunflower), and Yanagi (willow), motifs of Mizu (water), Fuurin (windchimes), Nyuudougumo (thunderhead), Hanabi (fireworks) or Senkōhanabi (firecracker), and animals like Hotaru (firefly), Kingyo (goldfish), Semi (cicada) and Kaeru (frog) are some of the most common decorations you can see on Japanese summer tea tools.