How to Brew Japanese Loose Leaf Green Tea (Preview)

Japanese loose leaf tea is not a tea bag in a mug with boiling water. Done properly, it is a short, precise infusion in a small teapot — usually a kyusu — with water at the right temperature, poured into handleless yunomi cups.

This guide covers the six-step method we use for every Japanese green tea in our range, then exact temperatures and steep times for gyokuro, sencha, genmaicha, hojicha, oolong, wakocha, and fermented teas.

Making matcha instead? That is a different method — see how to make matcha in 5 simple steps.

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Brewing guides

Matcha

How to Make Matcha

Whisk ceremonial matcha in 5 simple steps — water temperature, sifting, and W-motion froth.

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Brew Loose Leaf Tea

Sencha, gyokuro, genmaicha and more — kyusu, water temperature, and steeping times.

Recipe

How to Make Matcha Latte

Creamy matcha latte at home — whisk your matcha, then add steamed or cold milk.

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Reference

Brewing Temperature

Why temperature matters for matcha, sencha, gyokuro, and every Japanese tea style.

Read guide

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At a glance

Teapot	Kyusu (Japanese side-handle teapot with built-in strainer)
Cups	Yunomi — small handleless cups, ~80–120 ml each
Typical serve	~200 ml water for 2 cups
Sencha leaf	~5 g (about 1½ tbsp) per 200 ml
Sencha temperature	~80°C — not boiling
Sencha steep	~1 minute, then pour every drop
Re-steeps	2–4 times for quality loose leaf — adjust time slightly longer each round

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Three rules before you brew

1 — Temperature matters more than you think

Boiling water (100°C) is fine for hojicha (roasted tea), but it will scorch delicate greens like sencha and gyokuro, making them bitter and flat.

As a starting point:

Tea style	Water temperature
Gyokuro (shade-grown)	60–70°C
Sencha, genmaicha	~80°C
Oolong, wakocha, fermented teas	~90°C
Hojicha (roasted)	Boiling is OK

For the full science behind every style, see our brewing temperature guide.

2 — Use the right leaf-to-water ratio

Japanese tea is brewed strong and short, then diluted in the cup — not steeped for five minutes like some Western black teas.

For most greens in our range, about 5 g of leaf (roughly 1½ tablespoons) to 200 ml of water serves two small cups. Hojicha uses a little more leaf; gyokuro and specialty teas may use slightly less — see the table below.

3 — Pour out every last drop

When the steep time is up, pour all the liquor out of the kyusu into the cups. Leaving water on the leaves over-extracts bitterness before your next steep.

Alternate pours between cups so both are equal strength. Good loose leaf can be re-steeped several times — often the second or third infusion is the sweetest.

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How to brew Japanese loose leaf tea in 6 steps

Step 1 — Set out your teaware

Place a kyusu teapot and yunomi cups for each guest. You will also need your loose leaf and a kettle.

A kyusu’s built-in strainer and side handle make pouring clean and controlled — no basket infuser required.

Step 2 — Heat (and cool) the water in the cups

Boil fresh water, then pour into the yunomi cups and let it rest. This preheats the cups and lowers the temperature to something safer for green tea.

For sencha and genmaicha, you want water around 80°C by the time it goes on the leaves — not straight from a rolling boil.

Step 3 — Add loose leaf to the kyusu

Measure leaf into the dry teapot. For sencha, use about 5 g (1½ tbsp) per 200 ml of water.

Take a moment to smell the dry leaf in the warm clay — especially with gyokuro or genmaicha, the aroma is part of the ritual.

Step 4 — Pour water from the cups onto the leaves

Transfer the water from the yunomi into the kyusu over the leaves. Replace the lid and start your timer.

Step 5 — Steep for the recommended time

Steep times are short — often 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the tea (see the reference table below). Do not walk away; over-steeping is the most common mistake.

Step 6 — Pour evenly into every cup

Pour back and forth between cups until the kyusu is empty. Serve immediately while the tea is warm and aromatic.

For the next infusion, add fresh water at the same temperature and add 10–20 seconds to the steep time — the leaves are already open.

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Brewing guide by tea type

Use this table as your quick reference. Amounts are for ~200 ml water (about two yunomi cups).

Tea	Leaf amount	Water temp.	Steep time	Re-steeps
Gyokuro	~5 g (1½ tbsp)	60–70°C	1½–2 min	3–4×
Sencha	~5 g (1½ tbsp)	~80°C	~1 min	3–4×
Genmaicha	~5 g (1½ tbsp)	~80°C	~1 min	2–3×
Hojicha	~7 g (2 tbsp)	Boiling	15–30 sec	2–3×
Koshun oolong	5 g	~90°C	~1 min	3–4×
Benifuuki wakocha	4 g	~90°C	~2 min	3–4×
Yamabuki Nadeshiko	3 g	~90°C	~4 min	3–4×

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Gyokuro — shade-grown, umami-rich

Gyokuro is Japan’s most revered green tea — shade-grown before harvest for deep umami and sweetness. Our Yabukita and Okumidori blend comes from Minami Yamashiro in southern Uji.

Brew: ~5 g leaf · 60–70°C water · 1½–2 minutes · re-steep 3–4 times.

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Sencha — everyday Japanese green tea

Sencha is the benchmark Japanese green tea — steamed leaves with a balance of umami, grassiness, and a clean finish. Our Organic Sencha Gold is first-flush Yabukita from the same Uji region.

Brew: ~5 g leaf · ~80°C water · ~1 minute · re-steep 3–4 times.

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Genmaicha — green tea with roasted rice

Genmaicha blends sencha with toasted brown rice for a nutty, popcorn-like cup that is naturally lower in caffeine — a lovely evening tea.

Brew: ~5 g leaf · ~80°C water · ~1 minute · re-steep 2–3 times.

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Hojicha — roasted, low-caffeine comfort tea

Hojicha (houjicha) is sencha leaves roasted over high heat — caramel colour, woody aroma, almost no bitterness. It is one of the few Japanese teas that welcomes boiling water.

Brew: ~7 g leaf · boiling water · 15–30 seconds · re-steep 2–3 times.

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Koshun oolong — floral Japanese oolong

Our single-origin Koshun oolong is a Shizuoka cultivar with floral, honeyed notes — quite unlike Taiwanese oolong.

Brew: 5 g leaf · ~90°C water · ~1 minute · re-steep 3–4 times.

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Benifuuki wakocha — Japanese black tea

Wakocha is Japanese-style black tea. Benifuuki brews a malty cup with ripe fruit and citrus notes — closer to a gentle black tea than a green.

Brew: 4 g leaf · ~90°C water · ~2 minutes · re-steep 3–4 times.

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Yamabuki Nadeshiko — fermented loose leaf

Yamabuki Nadeshiko is a kuro-koji fermented tea from Haruno Village — rose-coloured liquor, strawberry-caramel sweetness, unlike standard pu-erh. Enjoy hot or cold.

Brew: 3 g leaf · ~90°C water · ~4 minutes · re-steep 3–4 times.

Read the full story: The rose of Japanese tea — Yamabuki Nadeshiko.

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What you’ll need

Tool	Why
Kyusu teapot	Built-in strainer, side handle, ideal pour control
Yunomi cups	Small cups that preheat and cool water; no handle needed
Kettle	Freshly drawn water; variable-temperature kettles help
Yuzamashi (optional)	Dedicated water-cooling pitcher between kettle and kyusu
Scale or tablespoon	Consistent leaf amount every brew

Browse Japanese tea sets and teapots · New to the range? Find your matcha · All brewing guides

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Frequently asked questions

What temperature should water be for sencha?

Around 80°C is ideal for sencha — hot enough to extract flavour, cool enough to avoid bitterness. Never use boiling water straight on sencha leaves. Pour boiling water into yunomi cups first and let it cool, or use a variable-temperature kettle.

Can you use boiling water for Japanese green tea?

Only for roasted teas like hojicha. Sencha, genmaicha, and gyokuro need cooler water (roughly 60–80°C depending on the tea). Boiling water on delicate greens produces a harsh, astringent cup.

How much loose leaf tea per cup?

For Japanese green tea, use about 5 g of leaf per 200 ml of water — roughly 1½ tablespoons — which typically serves two small yunomi cups. Hojicha uses slightly more leaf; gyokuro and specialty teas may use the same weight with cooler water and longer steep.

What is a kyusu?

A kyusu (急須) is a Japanese teapot, usually with a side handle and a fine mesh strainer built into the spout. It is designed for short infusions of loose leaf green tea poured into small cups.

How many times can you re-steep Japanese tea?

Quality loose leaf can be re-steeped 2–4 times. Pour out every drop after each infusion, then add fresh water at the same temperature. Add 10–20 seconds to each subsequent steep. Sencha and gyokuro often taste best on the second or third round.

What is the difference between sencha and gyokuro?

Both are Japanese green teas, but gyokuro is shade-grown before harvest for higher umami and sweetness, and it brews at lower temperatures (60–70°C). Sencha is grown in full sun, tastes brighter and more grassy, and brews at ~80°C.

Do I need a yuzamashi to brew Japanese tea?

No — a yuzamashi (water cooler) is optional. You can cool water by pouring it into yunomi cups first, or by using a variable-temperature kettle. A yuzamashi simply makes temperature control easier when brewing gyokuro or sencha often.

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— The Purematcha team