Written by WashokuLovers

Gift Idea

By WashokuLovers, Posted on 20/04/2019


The history of furoshiki and gift wrapping Have you heard the word “furoshiki” before? Ito En is using this traditional method of wrapping gifts as a way to present Japanese culture. The practice of using furoshiki goes a long way back in Japanese history, all the way to the Nara Period. It was around this […]

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Where to Buy

By WashokuLovers, Posted on 06/12/2018


Channels of Purchasing ITO EN’s products https://itoen.com.au

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How to make cold brew green tea (Serves 2)

By WashokuLovers, Posted on 06/09/2018


Ideal quantities Tip Ice and water extracts and supresses bitterness, allowing the umami flavour to be bought out to the full. This is best suited to tea leaves with plenty of umami such as Gyokuro or High grade Sencha, or teas with fine, rich leaves like Deep-steam Sencha.

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How to make Shincha tea (Serves 2)

By WashokuLovers, Posted on 06/09/2018


Best quantities to enjoy this tea Tip Teas like Genmaicha and Hoijicha have little Umami or astringent compounds, so they can be brewed at high temperature without either of these flavours becoming too strong. Use hot water and bring out the rich aroma.

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How to make Genmaicha or Houjicha tea (Serves 2)

By WashokuLovers, Posted on 06/09/2018


Best quantities to enjoy this tea Tip Teas like Genmaicha and Hoijicha have little Umami or astringent compounds, so they can be brewed at high temperature without either of these flavours becoming too strong. Use hot water and bring out the rich aroma.

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How to make Gyokuro (Jade dew) tea (Serves 2)

By WashokuLovers, Posted on 06/09/2018


Ideal quantities Tip Gyokuro tea should be brewed for longer at a lower temperature to bring out the Umami flavour.

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How to make Deep-Steam Sencha (Serves 2)

By WashokuLovers, Posted on 06/09/2018


Best quantities to enjoy this tea Tip Deep Steamed Sencha has fine leaves and the compounds in them dissolve easily, so the infusion time for this tea can be shorter.

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How to make Sencha (serves 2)

By WashokuLovers, Posted on 06/09/2018


Using Sencha Tea Bags Tip Advanced Sencha is rich in Umami (Amino acid) so it is brewed with lower temperature water in order to suppress the bitterness and highlight the Umami flavour. By contrast, regular Sencha has relatively less Umami (Amino acids) and more bitterness (Catechin) and we need to bring out the aroma and […]

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The right water and temperature for great tea

By WashokuLovers, Posted on 06/09/2018


The secret to enjoying tea is to drink it with the right water and at the right temperature for the variety. Choosing the right water The right water to best enjoy Japanese tea is slightly acidic “soft water”. The water is Japan is usually this kind so there is no problem using water from the […]

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Ito En O-cha

By WashokuLovers, Posted on 06/09/2018


Ito En is an innovative Green Tea company who were invited by the Victorian Government in 1994 to grow Japanese green tea leaves in Australia from scratch. Their #1 seller Oi Ocha is unsweetened, sweetener-free, zero calories and ready-to-consume are few of the reasons why I keep coming back for more, especially when I’m trying to […]

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