Description

What is Sencha Tea?

In a broader sense, the translation of the Japanese word ‘Sencha’ simply means ‘steamed tea’. The term originally marked the delimitation of Japan’s traditional method of stopping the oxidation processes in tea leaves through steaming as opposed to the Chinese roasting process. Accordingly, more than 80% of all tea produced in Japan today falls under that traditional Sencha concept. This also includes shaded green teas, namely semi-shaded Kabusecha and fully shaded Gyokuro teas. Therefore, a narrower definition has established in recent times for the sake of easier distinction. That’s why today the labeling of a tea as “Sencha” generally points to an unshaded tea. More specifically, an unshaded Japanese green tea of the first or second seasonal picking.

Now, the sping picking’s best leaf grades often remain reserved for shading and/or the domestic market. We might therefore easily find good quality Kabusecha or Gyokuro teas, while an unshaded Sencha of the early spring picking with high picking standard is almost a rarity on the western tea market. In fact, most unshaded Sencha teas either come from later (summer) pickings or are of inferior picking standard. Even the prouder I am to offer you an unshaded Sencha tea from the April picking, consisting of only spring’s new buds and youngest leaves.

Sencha Gokuijo

Sencha Gokuijo comes from the pastoral mountains of Kirishima, a cultivation region in the north of Kagoshima prefecture. On the one hand, the undulating landscape of volcanic heritage, characterized by an abundance of lakes and hot springs among other natural blessings, offers the tea plant soils that are rich in minerals and nutrients, along with supreme climate conditions. On the other hand, rich summer rains and regular fog on the tea plantations do one more thing to produce a Sencha tea with a particularly intense taste and individual character: floral, sweet, soft as silk and of tantalizing fruitiness.

‘Gokuijo’ (極上) means ‘superior quality’ in Japanese – and our Sencha Gokuijo lives up to its name indeed! For optimal exploitation of active ingredients, the steaming takes place immediately after picking. Thereafter, the rolling of the fixated tea leaves into the characteristic needle shape follows a short coolong phase. The processing cycle then concludes with the tea leaves’ final drying process. In order to ensure best freshness, the producer vaccum-seals the tea immediately upon completion of the processing cycle. This way, the tea’s intensive taste and aromatic fragrance remain preserved throughout the tea’s journey to your tea cup.

Preparation

First spread 2-3g Sencha tea leaves/100ml water on the bottom of your teapot or brewing vessel. Then pour with water of about 70°C and let steep for 1-2 minutes for a delicious first infusion. A second, similarly delicious infusion results after another 1/2-1 minute brewing at the same infusion temperature. Also, a third and fourth infusion of 2 and 3 minutes respectively are definitely still worth it! At this, progressively increase your infusion temperature from steep to steep. This way, you’ll make sure to get all the good ingredients out of the tea leaf!

Please note! In order to elicit the fine taste nuances from the tea use water as soft (low-lime) as possible! If the tap water in your place of residence does not provide this, we recommend using a water filter.

For more information on Japanese green teas, please also read my pertinent article in Siam Tea Blog:

(Green) Tea in Japan – History and Modern Appearance