What Is Sencha Green Tea

The most popular tea in Japan, sencha is a green tea with fresh, green color and taste. It is a whole-leaf tea that can be enjoyed hot or cold and makes up over half of Japan's yearly tea harvest.

WHAT IS SENCHA

Sencha is a steamed green tea made from small-leaf Camellia sinensis (tea bushes). Japanese sencha tends to have a refreshing flavor that can be described as vegetable, green, seaweed, or grassy. Flavors vary with different types of sencha and how they are brewed.

After picking, the processing of sencha green tea starts with a quick steam of the fresh tea leaves, preventing oxidization and locking in the green color and flavor. The leaves are then rolled, shaped, and dried.

Sencha teas are also produced in China, South Korea, and other countries, though the teas can differ greatly from their Japanese counterparts given the differences in tea plants and processing techniques used. These teas are frequently used for blending and have a more toasted, nutty flavor than grassy Japanese sencha.

USES

Sencha is frequently consumed warm and at all hours of the day in Japan. With moderate to low levels of caffeine, it can provide a nice boost without keeping you up at night. With a vibrant green color and fresh flavor, it also makes a refreshing iced tea.

CAFFEINE CONTENT

Green tea, including sencha, contains a moderate amount of caffeine. Depending on the variety and brew, sencha can contain between 12 and 75 milligrams of caffeine, comparable to 80 to 200 milligrams of caffeine in a cup of coffee. Thanks to a short brew time, most cups hover around 20 to 30 milligrams. Chinese sencha, which is typically roasted, has lower levels of caffeine than most Japanese green teas. Shade-grown green tea has higher levels of caffeine.

When brewed properly, sencha is not highly acidic. A long brew time or water that is too hot can give the tea an astringent taste.

BUYING AND STORING

Sencha green tea can be found in grocery stores, Asian markets, health food stores, tea shops, and online. For an authentic experience, look for young sencha that is grown and harvested in Japan. The whole, rolled leaves will have a deep green appearance. Store green tea in an airtight container away from heat and light. Sencha, especially tea picked early in the season, is best used within a few months. The tea won't go bad after this time, but it will lose some of its fresh flavor. Chinese sencha that has been roasted will keep for at least six months.

TYPES OF SENCHA

There are several different types of sencha green tea, differentiated by when they are harvested, how they are processed, where they are grown, and more. Most are divided into categories based on their mushi, or how long they are steamed.

• Shincha: Also known as ichiban-cha or "new tea," shincha is sencha that was harvested in the spring at the beginning of the growing season. It tends to have a sweeter, more nuanced, and sometimes richer taste than other types of sencha. It is prized in Japan, and most shincha is sold inside the country.

• Asamushi: This is a lightly steamed form of sencha (about 20 to 30 seconds). All sencha tea is steamed during processing, but the length of steaming time varies. Lighter steaming will result in a lighter, cleaner, more delicate tea.

• Chumushi: This is another mushi of sencha. It lies in between asamushi and fukamushi sencha, and is usually steamed for 30 seconds to a minute.