White Monkey Paw Recipe
Velvety smooth with a very delicate but intense full green tea flavor. A delicate green tea, hand made from the first two leaves and the bud of new season growth. Plucked in the morning and within the first two weeks of the new season, the leaves retain their downy white hair, a sign of delicate sweetness.
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Ingredients
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Tea
Optional additions
Method
Preparation
- 1
Measure tea
Weigh 3 g of White Monkey Paw tea leaves (this is roughly 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of whole, fluffy leaves depending on size). Use a scale for best consistency.
- 2
Heat water
Bring filtered water to a gentle temperature of 75–80°C (167–176°F). If you don't have a thermometer, bring water to a simmer and let it sit for about 5–7 minutes to cool to the target range.
- 3
Preheat teaware
Pour a small amount of the hot water into your teapot or infusion vessel and cup(s), swirl briefly, then discard. This gently warms the vessels and helps preserve the delicate infusion temperature.
Infusion
- 4
- 5
First infusion
Pour 120 ml of the 75–80°C water over the leaves, fully covering them. Steep for 1 minute for the first infusion. The short time highlights the tea's delicate sweetness and floral-green notes.
- 6
Pour
Pour the infusion into cups or into a serving pitcher immediately after 1 minute to avoid over-extraction.
- 7
Subsequent infusions
For the second infusion, pour another 90 ml of 75–80°C water and steep for 1:15–1:30 minutes. For a third infusion, use the remaining 90 ml and steep 1:45–2:00 minutes. You can typically get 3–4 gentle infusions from these high-quality buds; increase steep time by ~15–30 seconds for each subsequent infusion. Monitor taste and stop when flavor fades or becomes astringent.
Serving
- 8
- 9
Storage note
Store unused dry leaves in an airtight, opaque container in a cool, dry place away from strong odors and light. Use within a year for best freshness.