Manners exist in every country. Here, we will introduce the tea etiquette that has been customary in Japan for a long time.
If you come to Japan or have a relationship with Japanese people, please give it a try.
When a customer comes or visits a house or company in another place, green tea is served with the spirit of "hospitality" in Japan for a long time. But not only do you have to serve it, but green tea has proper etiquette when you serve it and when you drink it.
The chances will increase during the New Year holidays and Obon festival, and the chances of drinking tea will increase naturally.
It is taken for granted that working people know it, so if you serve tea without knowing the manners or drink the served tea, you will be labeled as "a person with bad manners" or "a person without education". You may be killed.
On the other hand, if you serve and drink tea properly, you can behave very beautifully and smartly.
Here, we have summarized how to add, serve, and drink green tea that you should remember.
Manners when serving green tea to customers
Green tea is served with the spirit of "hospitality" to our customers. If you put it in properly, you will not be able to put in the precious green tea deliciously, and it will not convey your heart.
When serving green tea, what you need, how to put green tea, how to pour it, and the order in which it is served are important.
(Preparation) What you need when making green tea
All you need to make green tea is a tray, a kyusu, a teacup, and a cup. In addition to that, we sometimes serve tea confectionery.
Obon
The tray for serving green tea is the round tray. The square tray is a tray for serving, so it is not used for making tea.
Also, the round tray has a direction.Hold the seam so that it is in frontIs the correct way to hold it.
teapot
There are porcelain and pottery in the Kyusu, but it doesn't matter which one. Porcelain has a smooth texture and is easy to handle and clean. The variety of colors and designs can give you a casual impression, but you can also choose the one that suits your home or office atmosphere.
The pottery is heavy and luxurious. This is better for older people and older people. It is durable and can be used for a long time.
It is important to choose the size of the Kyusu according to the number of people serving tea. If it is small, you will have to reinsert it many times, and if it is large, it may be too astringent.
The standard is 100-200 ml for 1 to 2 people, 200-350 ml for 2 to 3 people, and 350 to 600 ml for 3 to 5 people.
Teacup, cup
As a guide, drink 60 to 150 ml. The cup is placed under the cup. Not only does it prevent water droplets from getting on the table or cloth, but it also prevents the cold air from the table from being transmitted to the cup.
Tea confectionery
When serving tea confectionery, we serve manju and half-namagashi. Japanese sweets with a sense of the season are said to be preferable.
How to make green tea
Before making tea, pour hot water into the cup and warm it. This is to prevent the tea you put in from getting cold quickly.
The temperature of the hot water is 70 to 90 degrees. Put tea leaves and hot water in a kyusu and steam for about 1 minute.
How to pour green tea
Do not pour the tea into the teacup all at once, but pour it little by little so that the strength of the tea is even. By doing this, you can match the strength of all the teas. The amount of tea is about the 7th minute of drinking.
How to serve green tea
When carrying tea, arrange teacups in a round tray and stack the cups in one place.
Place the tray on your left hand and hold it with one hand. It's easy to lose your balance, so carry it carefully. It is also important to lightly attach your right hand to balance when walking.
Knock into the room. After entering the room, I will say "I'm sorry" and give a nod.
In the case of a Western-style room, place it on the edge of the side table or the lower table. In the case of a Japanese-style room, a tray is placed on the tatami mat on the customer's side.
Place the cup on the cup, hold the cup with your right hand, lightly support the cup with your left hand, and serve it from the rear right side in front of you.
At this time, make sure that the front of the teacup handle faces the customer.
To avoid suddenly reaching out and hitting you, try to serve tea by saying something like "I'm sorry." "Please."
The order in which green tea is served is first for the customer and second for the relatives. Let's start from the top of the customers. If you don't know, take it out from the person sitting on the seat.
When serving tea confectionery, serve in the order of (1) hand towel, (2) tea confectionery, and (3) green tea. The position to put out is the direction of the customer, from the right, hand towel, green tea, and sweets.
When you have finished putting it out, put the tray aside and bow after saying "I'm sorry." And then leave the room.
Manners when drinking the served tea
When I visit my house as a customer or when I serve tea in the office, I often wonder if I should touch it, when to touch it, and whether it is better to drink it.
Tea is served with hospitality by the other person, but there is also etiquette when drinking the served tea so as not to be rude.
Can I touch the tea served?
Sometimes people say, "Don't drink the tea that's served." But that's not the case. I would like to thank the other person for their hospitality.
When do you start?
It's good to drink the tea that is served, but the timing of drinking is important. When the other party recommends "please" after the tea is served, or when the other party drinks it, drink it.
When you receive it, tell the other person that you will receive it before drinking.
You don't have to drink it all at once. You can take it when you are talking and you are thirsty, but it is also good manners to stop drinking when the other person starts talking when you try to take it.
Also, if the talk continues and you cannot touch the tea, you will be asked to do so on your way home. Then, say thank you words such as "Thank you for your feast." And "Thank you."
Should I drink it up?
If you can drink it, you should drink it all, but you don't have to force it to drink. Let's say thank you for serving tea, whether you drank it or left it.
How to drink tea
When the tea is served, the cup may be covered.
At that time, attach your left hand to the cup and remove the lid with your right hand.
There are water droplets on the lid, so tilt it to drop the water droplets into the cup.
Then place the lid upside down on the edge of the cup. After drinking, put the lid back on.
Finally
Green tea etiquette that is necessary not only for work but also for the year-end and New Year holidays and when visiting relatives in Obon.
I introduced how to brew and how to get it, but I don't think you need to worry about etiquette more than necessary.
It is important that both the "sending side" and the "receiving side" pay respect to the other party.
Rather than doing formal manners, let's pay respect to the situation.