2015/05/26

Green Tea Refines the Palate

I saw an interesting TV program taking up some issues that non-Japanese people question about concerning Japanese. One of the issues was this;  “Why do Japanese people drink such a bitter drink every day?” 

Unfortunately, I didn’t find any clear answers from it, but it was interesting to know that the bitterness helps refine one’s sense of taste. According to a professor shown on the program said that the bitterness of the tea impacts on the sense of taste, expanding "the richness of the taste". Therefore Japanese tend to taste more umami and subtle sweetness. 

I have to say more Japanese, especially younger generation tend to avoid the bitterness nowadays. The consumption of not only tea made in kyusu (teapot) but beer has been decreasing because of – at least one of – the reason. Maybe, forgetting green tea could mean “forgetting Japanese taste”.

BTW....... bottled green tea with less bitterness is so popular unlike teapot tea.:-(



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