My Obsession With Green Tea and Green Tea Inspired Recipes!

Why am I obsessed with green tea?

Before I moved to Japan, I usually drank coffee every day. It helped to kickstart my day and gave me a small boost of energy. I also enjoyed the aroma of a fresh coffee. There is one drawback of drinking coffee though, after a few hours when the caffeine effect has subsided, I feel more tired which puts me on edge and reduces my productivity.

Then I found an awesome alternative drink in Japan, the delicious green tea, especially those you will find in your traditional Japanese hotel room. These green teas will give you all the benefits of coffee without the caffeine withdrawal, the bad aftertaste, and the bad breath. When I got the chance to try one of the best green teas in Japan, I took the chance and tried the Shizuoka Makinohara Sencha. "Sencha" means steamed tea in Japanese, normal sencha is steamed for about 30 seconds, and when "deep-steamed" is steamed for more than 1 minute. 

How to make and enjoy the tea?

Step 1. You need some hot water around 80C (176F), not boiling, as soon as you see the bubbles you should turn off the heat.

Step 2. Put your tea or tea bag in the hot water for 30 seconds.

Step 3. Enjoy the tea with some snacks.

Step 4. For your second or third round of tea, steep your tea for 10 seconds

More ways to enjoy green tea flavor food

Start your week with a green tea and start your weekend with a green tea flavored pancake!

Mix in some matcha powder or grind up the green tea in the pancake powder 

Double up the fun with the matcha syrup!

Save some money with plain yogurt by adding your own syrup and granola!

Most importantly the taste!

I drink a lot of tea. I will say that this is one of the smoothest teas I have ever tried.

There is no aftertaste with this tea so it is a good drink for while you are eating.

If you want something stronger, then you should try tea from Kyoto.

Taste: No bitterness, smooth, warm

Aroma: Sweet, grassy, spring

Color: deep green

This post is supported by Makinohara City, one of City-Cost's Supporters helping City-Cost bloggers to enjoy life in Japan and engage in new experiences.