Green tea infused sake and avocado sashimi

My favorite green tea and avocado combo is premium green tea infused sake and avocado sashimi.  Avocado is rich and creamy, and texture reminds me of toro, or fatty tuna and uni, or sea urchin.

Mauna Kea Premium green tea is cold infused at room temperature for 5 hours in Kikusui junmai ginjo sake.  1 tablespoon (0.25oz) of green tea to 1/2 cup of this sake is a bit more than what I would use for brewing in hot water.

I first got the idea of infusing green tea in alcohol from chemical analysis done at University of Hawaii, Hilo (UH Hilo).  They extracted and measured EGCg, Theanine and caffeine contents of green tea with boiling water, but what struck me was that their baseline concentrations of EGCg, Theanine and caffeine were extracted with methanol for 1/2 hour.

MK premium Green extraction
Theanine %Caffeine %EGCg %
Boiling water0.45%0.35%0.83%
Methanol0.11%0.28%1.73%

High level of EGCg makes alcohol extraction bitter?

Methanol extraction showed high level of EGCg even at low temperature.  EGCg is known for bitter taste so does this make it taste bitter?  Much like tincture alcohol extracts and preserves essential chemical components in healing herbs and makes it more readily available for the body to assimilate.  Does green tea also benefit from alcoholic extraction?

Sake is not as strong as vodka or pure ethanol, but perhaps more enjoyable and it can be a unique culinary experience.

How does it taste?  

When I tried this first time after 2 hours of infusion, I was truly delighted.  Subtle taste of theanine and amino acid sweetness and richness was enhanced by 15% alcohol of sake.  Not bitter.  It reminds me of rich forest soil, earthy and calming.  

Quality of sake is also very important for this culinary experience.  There are many characteristics in sake that makes some sake more compatible with tea infusion than others.  While some enjoy spicy and dry, others sweet and fruity.  I suggest you try green tea infusion in different sake to find what best suits your taste.  

I also tried infusion for one full day.  It gives slightly more bitterness, but this bitterness actually helps create contrast with sweet kikusui junmai ginjo at the time I was sipping.  Sweetness of Kikusui junmai ginjo definitely tame the bitterness of catechins and added different spectrum to green tea experience.

You can also enjoy second infusion after initial short infusion much like brewing tea in water.  Leaves tend to open slowly in cold infusion.  My next one will be infusing in hot sake.  

Comments

  1. Anonymous5/4/15, 4:19 PM

    Hello,

    I read some posts on your side, and it has me wondering if you might be attending the 2015 World Tea Expo in Long Beach California on 6-8 May.

    I ask because I represent Aalto International, a PR agency in Kyoto, Japan, and our CEO and CFO will be attending. With the tea industry continuing to blossom in North America, we would love to meet with writers such as you to get your insight on the industry in North America.

    Also, I should mention that we are working with a prominent figure at this event. While we are not in a position to give details on this company's release just yet, the situation might change over the course of the event. In such case, we would much prefer to provide information to an outlet such as yours, where anything written would be your own opinion (positive or negative), rather than larger outlets that are more inclined to just reproduce press releases.

    Please feel free to get back to me at: mert@aaltoin.com.

    In any case, we'll be keeping an eye on your site moving forward. Even if you are unable to meet up at the World Tea Expo, we hope that we can prove to be a good source of information for you!

    Kind regards,

    Mert B. Ö.
    International Public Relations
    mert@aaltoin.com
    Global PR- Aalto International http://www.aaltoin.com/en
    CEO Blog http://aaltoceo.wordpress.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. SaffronCup8/6/15, 9:08 PM

    Nice blog, actually i am a big lover of green tea drink and my day is incomplete without taking tea. Well today i came to know a new green tea recipe avocado sashimi green tea and after knowing about its taste i am going to try this new one green tea recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Luxx Press9/4/18, 4:20 PM

    i love this!

    www.ftstsp.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sadichaa Insta Cup7/24/19, 7:34 PM

    “Sadichaa Cup” is ready to drink an innovative teacup which encapsulates the richness of tea with majestic flavors that escalate your beverage consumption experience.

    ReplyDelete

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