When it goes wrong

Likely cause: The water is too hot

What to do — Bring sencha down to 70–80°C (158–176°F), gyokuro to 50–60°C (122–140°F). Pouring through the cups drops the temperature a step at a time.

Likely cause: It steeped too long

What to do — Sencha wants about 60 seconds. Set strength with leaf weight, not time.

Likely cause: Too much leaf

What to do — 4–6 g for two cups — roughly two heaped teaspoons.

Likely cause: Not enough leaf

What to do — Add leaf before you add time — more time brings astringency faster than strength.

Likely cause: Too much water

What to do — Check the pot isn't overfilled. Around 200 mL for two.

Likely cause: The water is too cool

What to do — Savoriness comes out cool, but aroma doesn't. Hojicha, bancha and genmaicha are fine straight off the boil.

Likely cause: It's deep-steamed sencha

What to do — That's normal. The leaf is broken fine, so it clouds. Not a fault.

Likely cause: The pot was shaken or the leaf pressed

What to do — Once the lid is on, leave it alone — agitation releases fine particles.

Likely cause: The pot was shaken to get the last drop out

What to do — Let it fall on its own rather than flicking the pot.

Likely cause: It's been open a while

What to do — Aroma is the first thing green tea loses. Seal it, keep it cool and dark, finish it within weeks.

Likely cause: The water is too cool

What to do — Aroma needs heat. Chasing savoriness with very cool water costs you the smell.

Likely cause: It picked up odors in storage

What to do — Tea leaf absorbs smells. Don't leave it loose in the fridge — decant into a sealed caddy.

Likely cause: Deep-steamed leaf in a fine-mesh pot

What to do — Switch to a coarse sasame strainer, or pour through a separate tea strainer.

Likely cause: Fine particles and stain built up in the mesh

What to do — Rinse with hot water after each use and dry it. A soft brush clears the inside of the spout.

Likely cause: The pot wasn't emptied

What to do — Pour it down to the last drop. Water left behind keeps extracting while you drink.

Likely cause: The second infusion steeped as long as the first

What to do — The leaf is already open. Hotter water, 10–30 seconds.

Likely cause: The water was too hot

What to do — Get it down to 50–60°C (122–140°F). One transfer from boiling usually isn't enough — pour through several vessels or use a thermometer.

Likely cause: Too much water

What to do — Gyokuro is brewed small and concentrated. Cut the volume and give it about two minutes.

Likely cause: It wasn't sifted

What to do — Push it through a sieve into the bowl. That alone removes almost all of it.

Likely cause: All the water went in at once

What to do — Work a little water in to make a paste first, then add the rest.

Likely cause: The water is too hot

What to do — Bring it to 70–80°C (158–176°F). Too hot gives coarse foam and more bitterness.

Likely cause: The whisk is pressed into the bottom

What to do — Keep the tines up and move briskly back and forth from the wrist — not in circles.

Likely cause: The whisk went in dry and stiff

What to do — Stand it in hot water for about 30 seconds first. It also stops the tines snapping.

Likely cause: It's culinary grade

What to do — Culinary grade is built to stand up to milk and sugar. If you're drinking it plain, buy drinking grade.

Likely cause: Too much powder, or water too hot

What to do — About 2 g to 60–70 mL, around 70°C (158°F).

Likely cause: Air, light or heat got to it

What to do — Seal it and keep it cool and dark. Don't leave it on a shelf in a clear bag.

Likely cause: Opened straight out of the fridge

What to do — Condensation forms on cold leaf. Let the packet come back to room temperature before opening.

Likely cause: It only lost aroma

What to do — Toast it lightly in a pan or a horoku and you have homemade hojicha. The roast covers for the faded aroma.

Likely cause: It picked up moisture

What to do — Damp leaf doesn't come back. Roast it off, or cook with it — tea rice, or simmered as a side dish.