Did You Know How the Way Tea is Handled Can Affect You?
All tea comes from the same plant called the Camellia Sinensis plant. The difference among teas is in the way they are cultivated and processed. For instance, white tea is minimally processed and oxidized, while black tea is fully fermented. Other factors that contribute to the taste of tea are weather conditions and soil type.
Today we are going to talk about sencha, the most popular type of green tea in Japan. It has a greenish golden color when it’s brewed. What makes this type of tea so refreshing and balanced is in the way that it’s processed.
Where Sencha Comes From
Like other teas, sencha comes from the Camellia Sinensis plant and is made from green tea leaves. Sencha uses the leaves of the upper shoots because they are younger and higher in quality. Other green teas use leaves from the lower shoots.
The leaves are cultivated in direct sunlight, which is unique compared to matcha and gyokuro leaves. These leaves are harvested during the first or second harvest seasons. It’s amazing to think how a tea is handled makes all the difference!
How Sencha is Made
Once the tea leaves are picked, they are steamed to prevent the oxidation process. Though this phase takes just about one minute or less, it’s the most important part and it separates sencha teas from other Japanese and Chinese green teas. These green tea leaves are heated as soon as they are plucked to prevent weathering and oxidation.
When the process is complete, the leaves are dried and rolled. Part of the reason why the taste is intensified in sencha teas is because the juices are released inside the leaves.
The next time you pour yourself a cup of sencha tea, you’ll see that the taste is smooth and balanced, falling in between sweetness and astringency. Some tea drinkers say that the tea is both sweet and salty.
Where to Buy Sencha Teas
Sencha tea is rich in Vitamin C because it’s made from freshly picked leaves. It has a very delicate and aromatic taste, which is why people love it as a morning or afternoon brew. Depending on the type of tea, it can contain a high caffeine content or a low caffeine content.
Here at Tin Roof Teas, we have a variety of sencha teas that have been meticulously grown in the best conditions and picked to perfection. They are steamed for less than a minute and dried and rolled. Our Fukamushi Sencha tea has a medium-high caffeine content, whereas Fukamushi Sencha Fuka Midori tea has a low content.
Smooth, sweet and delicious – we expect that you’ll love our tea!