Sencha Green Tea — Japan

Sencha Green Tea, Japan — is a deep green or Jade in color tea with an amazing smell especially when you just steep it for brewing.

It can have notes of juicy green apple and guava (Yabukita) or completely grassy (different Senchas from Japan will have (different smell and notes depending on the region and soil). The flavor can be grassy, floral, umami, or all at once if sencha from different regions is blended.

Cultivated and grown in shading process called Kabuscicha to retain higher levels of chlorophyll, caffeine and L-theanine. In the final days before harvest the tea leaves are exposed to sunlight to increase the level of catechins. Good quality of Sencha will drop and roll down in the form of needles of some what similar size after completing the processing.

The difference between the Japanese Sencha and the Chinese Sancha is that the Japanese sencha is steamed for about one minute whereas, in China the leaves are heated in a pan.

The uniqueness of the Japanese steaming process is that within that one minute the enzymes that because oxidation is deactivated followed by oven drying process to reach 4–7% humidity level. Further the leaves are tightly rolled into needle shape and that’s why they must be steeped for a full minute while brewing the first time.

Process

• Take 5–6 grams or 1 heaped scoop for two cups
• 180 ml water
• 160–175 degrees’fare height water temperature
• Brew for 30 second up to 2 minutes till you find which variables suit your taste

Note: You can use the Sencha leaves 2 or 3 times and get different strengths and flavors. The first brew is likely to be the sweetest or more savory.

In the first steep as the leaves take a little time to open you can brew the leaves up to 2 minutes, but in the second or third steep you should brew only for a few seconds.

Hotter water will draw savory grassy tones while cooler water will draw sweeter notes. Sencha Yabukita ( 70% of Japanese Sencha) is considered as the quintessential flavor of Sencha Japanese tea. Yabukita is considered as a well balanced flavor with almost no astringency and perfect umami.