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Black storefront of Ippodo Tea's flagship store, tearoom and headquarters in Kyoto, Japan with lush cherry blossom trees
About Tea |

Help, my tea is bitter!

Written on April 17, 2023 (updated on April 17, 2023)

Japanese tea naturally has components in it that give a sharp, dry, bitter, and astringent flavor and feel when we drink it. Just like learning to enjoy the bitterness in coffee, learning to enjoy the unique bitterness of authentic green tea can take some time!

We produce tea with a history of being a tea shop in Kyoto for over three centuries, and our president is the latest in line from the family that has run this shop since the beginning. In addition to acting as president, he is in charge of the blending process, and each tea is blended to his specifications. Following with this lineage and history, we expect and enjoy some amount of astringency and bitterness in our teas.

Some people find that the strength of the tea in our recipes is too strong. Our standard brewing instructions are based on our in-house preferences. To make a lighter brew strength, we recommend changing the recipes by reducing the amount of tea leaf, lowering the temperature of your water, and/or brewing for a shorter time.

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