Sencha tea
Sencha tea
Today in Japan, domestic tea consumption is on a downward trend, and many young people are no longer familiar with "classic" tea and traditional preparation methods.
Sencha is a true Japanese genre, and despite being produced in China as well, with a little experience, one can easily distinguish between the two.
During our visits, we observed that Japanese tea processing plants are always very clean and tidy. Processing must be very fast and efficient because the raw material is delicate. During factory tours, we always had to wear slippers and hairnets, and in Kagoshima, the procedure involved multiple hand and clothing sanitization steps.
Speaking of cleanliness... The warehouse of the Kagoshima tea auction. One sign that you're in Japan: trucks, from chassis to cabin, sparkle with cleanliness.
Buying Sencha Tea
Its main characteristic – freshness – must be protected! Several aspects of this can become apparent during the purchase.
Industrially processed tea is noticeably lower in quality compared to the limited batches produced by smaller growers and processors. When buying, it's worth paying attention to where and how the tea is stored! If the merchant retrieves Japanese green tea from a refrigerated place, that can already be a good sign. Feel free to ask for information: when was it harvested, where does it come from, what plant varietal was it made from, how was it transported?
If it's measured out from open bags, perhaps exposed to direct sunlight, or offered alongside flavored teas, don't expect very high quality. Better quality teas are sold in vacuum-sealed, zip-lock bags.
After opening it at home, do not put it in the refrigerator, as the condensed moisture will impair the taste and aromas and reduce its shelf life.
How to choose Japanese Sencha tea?
It's best to rely on an expert's recommendation! Tell them what kind of flavor profile you are looking for: fresher, more citrusy, lighter, perhaps more astringent, or rather sweeter, richer taste. Based on this, you can start your journey into the world of Japanese teas.
Over time, as you become familiar with more varieties, it will be easier to choose – whether by tea region, tea type, or plant cultivar.
Japanese tea regions – surprisingly many and varied, also due to the north-south differences.
Processing Sencha Tea
In Japan, farmers grow the tea, and factories or merchants process the aracha, the semi-finished tea. Shiage-cha is the final, sorted tea that we buy in stores. After harvesting, the leaves are quickly processed: steamed, rolled, and dried.
During processing, several stages of rolling follow, at the end of which the leaves take on a needle-like shape. Interesting fact: approximately 5 kg of fresh leaves result in 1 kg of finished tea.
Preparing Japanese Sencha Tea at Home
- Water quality: soft, low mineral content (e.g., spring water or Norda bottled water).
- Water temperature: 60–80 °C (lower temperature yields a sweeter taste, higher a more astringent one).
- Steeping time: first infusion 1–1.5 minutes, second approximately 30 seconds, third 1 minute.
- Tea/water ratio: more leaves → stronger tea, fewer leaves → lighter brew.
- Leaf quality: the better the quality, the more infusions it can yield.
- Equipment: shiboridashi, hôhin, or kyusu teapot. It's worth having separate equipment for green teas.
