Iced Sencha

I'm not too much of a tea person, but when it comes to green tea, you can count me in with seconds in advance. Green tea is the freshest taste when it comes to tea, and the "Sencha" variety has a brilliant color that no other tea has. Now, the problem with tea is that in order to have a great tasting cup is that you need a kettle, a tea cup and somewhere to sit. Not very practical on the go. But there is a simple and easy solution to that: ICED TEA!

Now, to the unitiated, iced tea may sound like it could be complicated and scary. But it's relatively simple to make. All you need is water, and tea. That's it! So, here's a great recipe that you can throw together in a matter of minutes to have the day after.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of filtered or spring water to 1 bag OR 1 tablespoon of coarse green tea (Sencha preferred)
- Lemon juice (optional)
- 1 leaf of fresh mint for each cup of water (optional)

Now, there are two ways you can go about this: cooking your water before hand, or using cold water. The former school of thought states that more of the tea is extracted with heat, and thus cuts down the time taken to create. I belong to the latter school of thought, since -- in my opinion -- it takes no longer of time to make with cold water considering how long you have to chill the hot water, and it seems that the amount extracted just about evens out anyhow. Plus, you don't have to worry about bacterial growth if you use cold water.
If you do use hot water, be sure to use water that has come to a simmer, not a boil. Boiling water makes the tea taste more bitter than it already is.

In a pitcher, add one cup of water to each bag of Sencha. If you have loose, coarse Sencha, simply throw in one tablespoon (by tablespoon I mean those tablespoons you use to eat with, not measure with) to each cup of water in a coffee filter bag and tie off with a clean string or fishing line (or just use a teaball). You don't need to use Sencha specifically, seeing as how it's only in season during the spring, but if you can get it, use it. It's a hell of a lot better than any other green tea out there.

To keep the bags from sinking all the way to the bottom of the pitcher, you can tie them to a pencil or chopstick which you can lay over the top of the pitcher to make removal easier.

Add in optional lemon and mint, and store in the refridgerator overnight (or at least 8 hours).

Remove bags (do not squeeze!) and pour into a water bottle to go, or over ice in a tall glass at home.

Enjoy!

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