Why my sencha kept tasting bitter
Japanese greens are steamed, not pan-fired, and their amino acids come out early while the bitter catechins follow at higher temperatures.
My routine now: 4 g of leaf, 70–75 °C water, 60 seconds for the first steep, then 15 seconds, then 45. Pouring the water into the cups first and back into the pot cools it by about ten degrees.