I received this rare tea from a senior Japanese tea instructor. This tea is made by a tea cultivar named ‘Sun Rouge’ from Tokunoshima island, Kagoshima. And surprisingly this tea is still categorized as Sencha, that is, green tea by its manufacturing method. 😮
:: Today’s recipe ::
Tea leaves 3g (mine was a tea bag)
Amount of hot water 150ml
Temperature of hot water 80℃ (176℉)
Steeping time 60 seconds
Lemon juice As you like
This tea contains not only the green tea components but also lots of anthocyanin which has a strong antioxidant effect and reduces eye strain. Food plants rich in anthocyanin include the blueberry and many others that are purple in colour.
The anthocyanin affects the color of this tea as well. Its original color is a grayish red purple. It turns bright red by adding something acidic such as lemon juice or soda! ✨
Even though this tea itself has a strong astringency, adding lemon juice makes the taste lighter. You can also add sweetener, ginger or herbs as you like.
The color of this tea is literally a beautiful red and I think it looks very fashionable. It’s perfect to serve to your guests! It might be a good idea to let the guests add the lemon juice by themselves and enjoy the change in color. Why don’t you tell them “this is a red colored green tea”. I think they will be very surprised! 😆
