When and where to serve
Green Tea

Green tea can be served anywhere and any time. There is no place you cannot serve tea. In hot summer you may wish to drink cold tea.

We discourage to add sugar to green tea because it diminishes the flavor of tea. Milk cannot be added to green tea either because milk is coagulated. In case green tea is not easy to drink by itself, serve with small cookies, soft candies, or a small piece of cake.

Green tea has strong caffeine that sometimes makes it difficult to fall asleep at night. As drinking green tea becomes one's habit, however, the difficulties diminish or disappear. In general, it is recommended not to drink strong green tea in the evening just like strong coffee is avoided. Serving tea to visitors in the evening is the time of caution. The visitors may not be used to strong green tea. Except during the daytime, bancha or hojicha are probably much safer for them than sencha and gyokuro.

A person who falls in any of the following categories should exercise the same caution:

• pregnant or nursing
• anxiety disorders
• insomnia
• irregular heart beat