July 2023 will continue to be extremely hot with temperatures exceeding 34˚C. This intense heat is not only in Japan but also in Europe, and it seems that the number of people suffering from heat stroke is increasing rapidly in Europe, where air conditioning is not widely used because the humidity is low.
In such a case, it is especially recommended to rehydrate with cold sencha. I will introduce the habits that I (Kubei) do. Put about 70% of the tea leaves in a non-woven disposable tea bag, which is about 10g. Put this in a 2-pack cold water pitcher and pour about 1 liter of filtered tap water. Put it in the refrigerator and put it on a timer for about 40 minutes. The time is also changed depending on the production area of tea leaves. For sencha from Mino Shirakawa and Kakegawa, it takes 30 minutes, and for sencha from Uji and Asamiya, it takes 40 minutes. When the time is up, lift the tea bag and squeeze it lightly before taking it out. I drink one cup of this cold sencha every morning and one each at noon and night. I make it once and drink one pitcher of sencha in two days.
Summer fatigue and heat stroke are closely related. A rise in body temperature due to depression, in which heat is trapped in the body, is heatstroke. In this case, cool large veins such as both sides of the neck, armpits, and the front of the groin. Also, if mild symptoms, placing the palm of the hand in the water is effective in dissipating heat.
Heatstroke is a symptom associated with dehydration, and symptoms include dizziness, headache, heat fainting, muscle cramps, loss of appetite, and general malaise due to heat exhaustion. Of course, it is caused by the weather, such as high temperature and humidity, but there is a difference between those who are susceptible to it and those who are not. People who are prone to heatstroke often have autonomic nervous system symptoms, chronic fatigue, morning pain, and dizziness.
In other words, people who tend to have autonomic imbalance can’t control the rise in body temperature with their autonomic nerves, so they suffer from heatstroke. This is the reason why the elderly, whose autonomic nervous system is weakened, are more susceptible to heat stroke. In addition, about 70% of obese people also have decreased autonomic nerve regulation function, which is called Mona Lisa syndrome. The deterioration of these autonomic nerve control functions is caused not only by aging but also by stress, irregular lifestyles, and unhealthy eating habits. Eating junk food, drinking juices, and staying up late playing video games drives the autonomic nervous system out of whack.
As a measure against heat stroke, both hydration and autonomic nerve measures are the best. It has been pointed out that replenishing only water can lead to a lack of salt, and drinking too many sports drinks can lead to excessive sugar intake. Cold-brewed cold sencha is extracted at a low temperature to enhance autonomic nerve regulation and immune function and maximize the relaxing effect of theanine. Above all, it is the umami ingredient, so cold sencha is delicious enough without sugar. It is the best measure that is perfect for both hydration and autonomic nerve measures.
As an aside, I always put the tea leaves in the tea bag that I pulled out after making cold sencha, and then put it in a pot, added water, and put it on fire. Turn off the heat just before it boils, cool it in a bowl of cold water in the summer to remove the rough heat, and transfer it to another pitcher and chill it in the refrigerator.
After cold brewing cold sencha, the tea leaves are completely extracted with the umami flavor of theanine, but catechins remains enough. This catechin-only cold tea has almost the same composition as PET bottled green tea. Makes about 1 liter of this. This catechin cold tea is drunk as a drink for sweet or greasy meals. At the beginning of the corona crisis, when there was a shortage of disinfectants, I sprayed doorknobs, smartphones, keyboards, etc. to sterilize them. This is because it has a bactericidal effect against spike-shaped viruses. Catechin green tea is easily oxidized, so if you are concerned about it, you can cover it with plastic wrap. Or you can add a few drops of lemon juice. Vitamin C prevents oxidation of catechins. It is safe because it is not carcinogenic synthetic vitamin C like PET bottles.
20g of 2 bags of tea packs make 1 liter of delicious cold sencha and 1 liter of catechin green tea equivalent to PET bottled green tea. This method won’t work unless it’s high-grade sencha, which is rich in theanine, but it’s a very smart lifestyle method because it costs around 64 cents per 200ml cup while enjoying delicious cold sencha and preventing heatstroke.
Picked up from our official shop blogs:
https://en.tcha-tcha-japan.com/blogs/blog/my-recommend-cold-sencha
