Japan affords a wealthy number of inexperienced teas, from basic sencha and nutty genmaicha to heavenly gyokuro. Study the totally different ways in which Japanese inexperienced teas are grown, harvested, and processed to create the various flavors and forms of this basic beverage.

Japanese inexperienced tea is available in many sorts, every with its personal distinctive traits. The methods that tea growers use to domesticate, harvest, and course of the tea leaves all play a vital function in shaping its closing style and aroma. On this submit, we’ll discover the favored forms of Japanese inexperienced tea and the principle components that go into creating them.

For a deeper dive, learn Your Information to Japanese Inexperienced Tea and be taught The way to Make Japanese Inexperienced Tea.

What’s Inexperienced Tea?

Inexperienced tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, the identical type that produces black, white, and oolong teas. What units Japanese inexperienced tea aside from the remainder is its minimal oxidation course of. This preserves its signature contemporary and pure taste and aroma. It additionally helps retain a excessive antioxidant and nutrient content material that make Japanese inexperienced tea one of many healthiest drinks out there.

Rising and Harvesting Japanese Inexperienced Tea

Japanese tea growers use a number of strategies to domesticate various kinds of Japanese inexperienced tea. In doing so, they will create a broad vary of high quality and tastes. With experience honed by custom and expertise, producers make use of these various methods that fall into just a few classes:

1. Protecting course of

Shading the tea crops controls the flavour and high quality of the leaves. The extra it’s shaded, the richer and deeper the umami. Protecting additionally protects the crops and prolongs harvest. Following are the totally different levels of shading used:

• tencha (てん茶): totally shaded for 20–30 days earlier than harvest, as with gyokuro and matcha
• kabusecha (かぶせ茶): shaded for as much as 3 weeks earlier than harvest; additionally known as shade-grown sencha
• unshaded: grown in full solar, as with common sencha

2. Harvest season

Farmers decide tea leaves from spring by autumn, relying on the local weather and area. The sooner the harvest, the higher the aroma, taste, and vitamins. These are the three predominant classes of tea based mostly on harvest classes:

• shincha (新茶): tea leaves celebrated as the primary decide of the yr, harvested in early April; most scrumptious simply after harvesting
• ichibancha (一番茶): first flush tea leaves, together with shincha, harvested in spring (April and Might); finest taste, aroma, and vitamins
• nibancha (二番茶): second flush tea leaves harvested in summer season (June and July)
• sanbancha (三番茶) and yonbancha (四番茶): third and fourth flush crops in sure rising areas solely

3. Rising area

Japanese inexperienced tea’s traits are also formed by the areas of the farms. Sure areas are famed for his or her local weather, rising circumstances, and lengthy custom of tea manufacturing. A couple of well-known ones embody:

4. Cultivar kind

Japan grows lots of of Camellia sinensis cultivars. Some widespread Japanese cultivars are:

• Yabukita (やぶきた): most sencha comes from this cultivar
• Benifuuki (べにふうき)
• Fushun (ふうしゅん), Kanayamidori (かなやみどり), Meiryoku (めいりょく), Saemidori (さえみどり), and Okumidori (おくみどり): different widespread cultivars

Steaming vs Roasting Japanese Tea Leaves

As soon as the tea leaves are harvested, producers will both steam or roast the Japanese tea leaves.

1. Steaming

Most Japanese tea leaves are steamed. It takes a excessive diploma of experience to find out the fitting temperature and steaming time that lasts simply 10–60 seconds. The talent used tremendously impacts the flavour and aroma of the completed product.

There are three steaming ranges:

• asamushi (浅蒸し): frivolously steamed for 10–30 seconds
• futsu(mushi) (普通[蒸し]): usually steamed for 30 seconds
• fukamushi (深蒸し): deeply steamed for 60 seconds

2. Roasting

Hojicha is the one number of roasted Japanese inexperienced tea. This comparatively new course of was found unintentionally within the Nineteen Twenties by a Kyoto tea service provider who charcoal-roasted some leftover tea from the final harvest.

Roasting produces the next traits:

• lowered caffeine content material
• reddish-brown colour
• sweeter, barely smoky taste
• much less bitterness and astringency

Widespread Kinds of Japanese Inexperienced Tea

Inexperienced tea is usually known as o-cha by the Japanese. Nonetheless, the precise phrase for all sorts or inexperienced tea is ryokucha (緑茶, りょくちゃ) with ryoku which means “inexperienced” and cha which means “tea.”

Beneath are the most typical forms of Japanese inexperienced tea, their distinctive qualities, and find out how to get pleasure from them.

1. Sencha: The On a regular basis Favourite

Sencha (煎茶) is Japan’s hottest inexperienced tea, identified for its vivid and refreshing taste. With its well-balanced mixture of acidity and sweetness, sencha makes a wonderful alternative for day by day enjoyment.

Tea makers harvest the youngest tea leaves after which steam, roll, and dry them to provide sencha. Sencha is out there in mild, regular, and deep steaming ranges.

2. Gyokuro: The Luxurious Alternative

Gyokuro (玉露), also called Jade Dew, is thought to be the highest-quality inexperienced tea. These tea leaves are grown within the shade for the ultimate 20–30 days to gradual the plant’s progress and develop increased ranges of chlorophyll. This contributes to gyokuro’s concentrated, wealthy taste.

You possibly can simply acknowledge this tea by its deep, darkish inexperienced leaves and unparalleled umami and aroma. Some describe the style as candy with a refined, seaweed-like word. It’s scrumptious served scorching or chilly. For tea connoisseurs and people who get pleasure from wealthy, advanced flavors, gyokuro could also be your number of alternative.

3. Genmaicha: The Gentle & Nutty Mix

Genmaicha (玄米茶) is a mix of roasted brown rice with both sencha or bancha (see beneath). It has a light taste with a slight sweetness and an virtually popcorn-like style.

This tea was initially referred to as “individuals’s tea” as a result of producers used rice as a filler to make genmaicha extra inexpensive. Now, it’s loved by all for its nutty aroma and decrease caffeine content material.

4. Hojicha: The Roasted Tea

Hojicha (焙じ茶) stands out with its reddish-brown colour and distinctive roasted taste. Tea makers roast hojicha over excessive warmth as a substitute of steaming it like different inexperienced teas. The result’s a toasty, caramel-like sweetness with a touch of smokiness and little to no bitterness.

Roasting additionally lowers hojicha’s caffeine content material, making it a wonderful alternative for the night. Whether or not served scorching or as chilly brew hojicha, its low astringency makes it mild on the abdomen. It additionally is available in powdered kind used to make hojicha lattes, smoothies, and desserts.

5. Bancha: The Economical Tea

Bancha (番茶) comes from extra mature, coarser leaves that growers harvest later within the season. These bigger leaves develop nearer to the stalk and don’t roll right into a wonderful needle form throughout the drying course of.

Tea producers additionally use bancha to create hojicha and genmaicha. It’s thought-about a lower-quality tea and is inexpensive than sencha. Nonetheless, its mild physique and refined sweetness make it a preferred alternative for newbie tea drinkers.

6. Kukicha: The Twig Tea

Kukicha (茎茶) or “twig tea” is comprised of the stems, twigs, and leaves of the tea plant. Not like conventional inexperienced teas comprised of youthful leaves, kukicha is crafted from varied elements of the tea plant, giving it a light and mellow taste profile.

Its style is usually described as nutty, woody, and subtly candy, with a refreshing high quality and minimal astringency.

7. Konacha: The Powdered Tea from Sencha

Generally known as the tea of sushi eating places, konacha (粉茶) is comprised of the smaller, damaged leaves and tea mud that stay after processing higher-grade teas like sencha.

Though it’s comprised of smaller, much less refined elements of the tea plant, konacha affords a daring, sturdy taste with a slight astringency and an umami-rich style. It brews shortly and has a vibrant inexperienced colour.

8. Matcha: The Finely Floor Inexperienced Tea Powder

Matcha (抹茶) is a kind of inexperienced tea in powdered kind. It has a vivid inexperienced colour, candy and mellow taste, and elevated caffeine content material. Historically whisked with water in Japanese tea ceremony, matcha powder is now standard worldwide to get pleasure from in drinks and sweets. Study extra about this finely floor inexperienced tea powder on our Matcha web page.

Store Teaware at JOC Items

When you’re in search of a stupendous teapot, cup, tea caddy, or matcha bowl, go to our on-line store, JOC Items! We supply a variety of teaware, from Tokoname ware and Arita ware to Kutani ware.

Ingesting Inexperienced Tea: A Every day Ritual

Every kind of Japanese inexperienced tea has its personal story, taste, and place in day by day life. Personally, I’ve discovered that tea choice is dependent upon the second. A cup of genmaicha is my go-to for cozy household evenings, whereas matcha appears like a small celebration every time I whisk it up.

I encourage you to discover these teas at your individual tempo, experimenting with brewing methods to seek out your good cup. Inexperienced tea is greater than only a drink; it’s a ritual, a consolation, and a connection to Japanese tradition that I hope you’ll get pleasure from as a lot as I do.

What number of forms of Japanese inexperienced tea have you ever tried? Do you’ve got any favorites? Let me know within the feedback—I’d love to listen to about your experiences!