Blissful Buds
Made from tea buds. Richest in catechins.
Blissful Buds is a mecha, or bud tea, made by picking the small young buds at the pinnacle
of the tea plant - the leaves richest in catechins. These tender leaves yield a refreshingly sweet infusion,
with much less astringency than conventional senchas.
Bagged and loose-leaf available.
Artisan: Koji Nagata
Origin: Aso City, Kumamoto, Japan
$16.95
This type of tea is also served at the end of a meal
at fine Japanese restaurants. (In sushi lingo, this type of tea is referred to as agari.)
Packaging:
Blissful Buds Green Tea comes vacuum-sealed for freshness in resealable, standup foil packets. Each packet contains 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of tea, enough to make 40–50 cups of brewed tea.
How to brew:
Use 1 teaspoon of tea leaves for an 8-ounce cup with strainer. If using a teapot, use 1 teaspoon of tea for a small teapot or 2 teaspoons for a family-size teapot.
Packaging:
Blissful Buds Green Tea comes vacuum-sealed for freshness in resealable, standup foil packets. Each packet contains 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of tea, enough to make 40–50 cups of brewed tea.
How to brew:
Use 1 teaspoon of tea leaves for an 8-ounce cup with strainer. If using a teapot, use 1 teaspoon of tea for a small teapot or 2 teaspoons for a family-size teapot.
The water temperature should be about 75 degrees Celsius (167 degrees Fahrenheit). If you don't have a thermometer, just heat the water until small bubbles begin to appear on the bottom of the pot, then remove from heat. (More on water temperature here.)
For the first steeping, let the tea brew for about 2 minutes. For the second and third steepings, let the tea brew for 30 seconds to 1 minute. After each steeping, be sure to remove the leaves from the water — if using a strainer — or pour out all tea from the teapot.
