Japanese Tea 101: Sencha Tea and It’s Different Types

What is Sencha and what tea is considered Sencha

Sencha is a commonly found green tea in Japan. It is labeled steeped tea because it is prepared by infusing whole processed tea leaves in hot water. In Japan, Sencha is responsible for 60% of tea production, and only a small percentage is exported. It came from the Camellia Sinensis tea plant. It is commonly grown with the Yabukita cultivar. Japan’s main Sencha tea-growing regions are Shizuoka, Uji in Kyoto, Kagoshima, and Sayama in Saitama.

Sencha tea leaves are steamed like other Japanese green teas and give a grassy and fresh aroma. Hojicha and green tea leaves from different countries are roasted to create a nutty and toasted aroma, but steamed green tea leaves have a refreshing taste. Sencha has a wide range and is infused with other tea types to make flavors and refreshing beverages.

What is Sencha and How Sencha was created

The story of Sencha’s arrival in Japan is a fascinating one. In the 18th century, a tea vendor named Baisao in Kyoto pioneered a simmering process to preserve the tea leaves. This innovative technique, which involved simmering the leaves in boiling water, not only enhanced their flavor but also made them easier to store when dried. Today, this process is widely used to reduce oxidation in green tea leaves, particularly in the Sencha variety, marking a significant milestone in the history of tea.

Types of Sencha tea are differentiated by various factors such as shade grown or under direct sunlight, color, aroma, and flavor. Depending on the variety, it color ranges from light green to yellowish to emerald green. As for the taste, it has grassy, sweet, astringent, and buttery notes. It sometimes depends on brewing time as less time produces less astringency with a sweet aftertaste, while a longer time produces savory notes with a bitter aftertaste. Sencha was often harvested from late April to May every year.

Three Main Steaming Types of Sencha

Asamushicha means light steamed tea. It is steamed for 20 to 30 seconds, 2 to 3 times less than usual. This tea has a light and clear color. Since it was steamed light, the tea leaves’ natural smell, and astringent grassy taste were retained.

Fukamushicha means deep–steamed tea. It is steamed for 40 seconds to 1 minute, 2 to 3 times longer than usual. This tea becomes cloudy yet produces a robust, sweet flavor without the astringent or grassy flavor.

Since it has a strong taste, it can be a healthy cold or iced drink! Matcha lovers will surely like this tea since the leaves can easily break and turn into a powder form.

Futsumushi, or normal-steamed tea, is steamed for 30 to 40 seconds. This is the usual duration in steaming Sencha. Futsumushi is the most common and has a sweet umami taste with a bit of astringency. If the Sencha you bought does not mention how it was steamed, you can assume it is a normal steamed tea.

There are Special and Extra deep steamings in Sencha, although those are rare. Special steaming of 1.5 to 2 minutes is done to produce a dark green-colored, deep-rich smooth tea flavor, while extra deep steaming of 140 to 160 seconds produces a deep green color. The tea’s leafy smell and taste become lighter than deep steaming, and the taste is strong with very little astringency or grassy flavor.

Japanese Green Teas made from Steamed Sencha

Sencha is the name of the overall category of tea of this steamed type and the following are examples of Sencha (and not limited to) as they are all steamed-processed.

Genmaicha

It means “brown rice tea” (Genmai = brown rice, and cha = tea). It is a blend of Sencha leaves and toasted brown rice because the popped rice resembles popcorn and makes a popping sound when roasted; the Japanese also call this green tea popcorn tea. Its wonderful aroma, sweet, nutty flavor, and affordable price make it a popular tea drink.

Gyokuro

It means jade dew, a type of Sencha tea grown under shade away from the sun for around 20 days. Farmers use special nets to shade the plants, reducing catechins to produce a sweeter tea with less astringency. Most Camellia Sinensis for Sencha is from the Yabukita cultivar, but in Gyokuro, the cultivars are different, such as Okumidori, Asahi, Saemidori, and many more.

Kabusecha

This tea (Kabuseru = to cover, Cha = tea) is a higher-quality Sencha. The growing process is the same as that of Gyokuro, where plants are grown under shade. The difference is that growing Kabusecha takes less time (7 – 10 days) than Gyokuro (20 days). If you’re looking for a green tea that tastes better than Sencha but is still gentler than Gyokuro, try Kabusecha.

Kukicha

It is also known as stem or – twig tea because it consists of stems, stalks, and twigs from what is left of Sencha and other green tea varieties instead of tea leaves. Kukicha has a refreshing aroma and less bitter taste. Since this is a twig tea, the brewing time is longer than that of Sencha.

Karigane-cha

It has the same characteristics as Kukicha but is made from what is left of high-grade Sencha and Gyokuro. The advantages of drinking Kukicha and Kariganecha are the healthier nutrients from the stalks, more umami, and sweet flavor.

Aracha

meaning crude tea or wild tea. Compared to other Sencha green teas, Aracha includes leaves and stems in the tea-making process. It is Sencha mixed with other green tea leaves, called blending, resulting in an intense taste and grassy smell.

Benefits of Sencha

Boosts metabolism because of the caffeine content. Sencha has less caffeine than coffee, but most of the caffeine-sensitive people can drink it
Reduces cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar
Boosts the immune system. It contains Vitamin C and catechins, which serve as antioxidants and boost the white blood cells’ ability to fight infection, colds, and flu.
Hydrates the skin and can improve oral health because Sencha’s astringency kills oral bacteria and reduces bad breath.

Brewing Sencha

Fresh, filtered, or bottled water is recommended. Steeping / Brewing time depends on what kind of tea it is. You can take a look at how it is easy to brew Sencha.

Here is the green tea we carry that is mentioned in this blog:

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