SENCHA
As one of Japan's favourite beverages, sencha is one of the best places to start when exploring the world of green tea. To give an idea - sencha accounts for 60% of all Japanese tea production.
Top quality sencha is produced by harvesting the early spring leaves, which are rolled and then undergo a light steaming process before being packaged. The result is a fresh, vegetal aroma, and the drinker can expect a pleasant lift from the caffeine content.
Despite sencha's overall characteristics, there are in fact hundreds of different types of sencha due to the numerous variables such as cultivar, terroir, and the farming and processing methods. The flavour possibilities seem endless and we are always on the look out for new varieties as dedicated farmers continue to research, experiment and refine their craft.
Steaming Process - Asamushi & Fukamushi
All sencha is steamed straight after plucking. This halts the fermentation process, preserves the aroma, flavour and green colour in the leaves, and also locks in many beneficial compounds of the tea leaf such as antioxidants and amino acids. Thanks to steaming, the leaves retain and accentuate their natural flavour profile - delicious umami vegetal characteristics such as edamame, spinach, and seaweed.
Most sencha is light steamed (asamushi) with a traditional method that has been used for hundreds of years, undergoing a steaming process of approximately 30-40 seconds. Fukamushi sencha is deep steamed for between 60-120 seconds, the result is a much deeper and vivid green colour, and development of flavour.
Other Teas
A specialty of Kyushu, kamairicha is a type of roasted pan-fired tea that is similar to sencha but more rounded and less grassy, with no astringency and an overall rich yet refreshing palate. Due to the way...
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