Hmm since you're mostly getting jokes ¥some are pretty funny tho =P¤, I'll try and give you some real advice©
NOTE: Your tea may be good, but it's turning brown because you are using water that is too hot! If the water is too hot, it will cause oxidation and ruin the tea ¥it will turn brown¤© See Here for how to make Tea:
Brewing
¥I actually don't wait like 5 minutes for the water to cool, instead I just throw in a few ice cubes¤© Also, you have to remove the Tea leaves from the pot ¥or whatever your using¤ once it the steep time is over© You can't just leave it in there or the tea will get really bitter from the Tannins released©
The tea bags aren't really holding back the good stuff, but they sometimes don't let the tea breathe and thus steep properly ¥the main problem with tea balls¤© Buy a chinese tea pot and goto Ten Rens or some place and buy a stainless steel filter© Most Japanese Tea pots come with a built in filter ¥but japanese pots are mad expensive¤
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ON GREEN TEA:
Japanese Green tea comes in a number of varieities: Gyokuro, Matcha, Sencha, Genmaicha, etc©, and 3 main grades:
Gyokuro, Sencha, Chinese Green Tea©
All the teas are from the same leaf, and quality is generally detremined by chlorophyl content, and thus when the leaf is picked© Gyokuro are picked first flush, and prepared by placing dark cloths over the plants for a short period¥3 weeks¤ to increase the chlorphyl content© The plant then recovers and Sencha is picked©
Among Gyokuro and Sencha are grades that depend on where the leaf comes from and the climate in that area© The most expensive and highest grade are usually from Uji or Shizuoka prefecture ¥two of the top 3, forget the other one¤© They can also vary by how they are processed©
For example, you can buy Gyokuro Imperial Needle, Uji Gyokuro, Netto Gyokuro, etc© The Netto is usually most expensive because the processing allows the tea to sustain a higher water temperature ¥Gyokuro is sensitive, so you have to let the water cool to a certain temperature or you'll ruin the tea and it will turn brown from oxidation¤© Other than that many consider Uji Gyokuro one of the best green teas© The trade off is you may have to wait like 10 minutes for the water to cool to prepare uji©
For every day usuage and to serve to guests, the Japanese use Mid to High grade Senchas© Remember that a Low Grade Gyokuro is usually better than a High grade sencha, no matter how high ¥although it somewhat depends on your tastes¤©
Matcha is finely ground Gyokuro used in the Japanese tea ceremony© It makes a great tea, and produces a dark emerald color©
Remember, if you buy any of this stuff it will take time to prepare and it aint cheap© $10 for 8 ounces of mid grade sencha is a good price© Expect $30 for a few ounces of Gyokuro or Matcha© There's no such thing as instant ¥like liptons ice tea¤ green tea, although I have seen some powdered plum green tea packets at a Korean store once ¥tried them, they're like sugary green ice tea, not bad tho¤© The only other choice for you is to get the Matcha© You still gotta take the time to make this stuff tho ¥If you buy any of this stuff, make sure you read up on how to prepare the tea right, see link below¤
QUICK SUMMARY:
If the stuff you had at the restaraunt was a dark green and had a crisp grassy taste ¥and it was a high class place¤, it was either Matcha ¥high quality powdered green tea¤, or more likely Sencha mixed with a little Matcha©
If you want high class green tea in a powder form, expect to pay for it cause Matcha aint cheap©
You can find Sencha at most places ¥Sometimes I buy it from Chinatown or Mitsuwa and what not¤, not TenRen tho ¥it's a chinese tea place, good for other teas tho¤© If you're really hardcore go here to learn about and buy some of the good stuff:
Japanese Green Tea
Otherwise, buy a teapot and pick up some loose leaf Sencha at a Japanese store© It's what most people who know green tea drink, and it's a lot cheaper© ¥note: crappy sencha has twigs, mid grade doesn't¤©
Soujir0