When you think of a typical Japanese product, green tea probably comes to mind first. Not surprising, because Japan is a real tea country! If you travel through the beautiful landscape of Japan you will come across many vast tea plantations.
After picking, the tea leaves undergo a unique production process, but this does not mean that all green tea is the same. In fact, there are many types of green tea with their own taste and smell.
Let's see:
Green tea is more than green tea leaves
There are about hundreds of types of tea worldwide, which we can divide into 6 categories:
- white tea
- green tea
- yellow tea
- oolong
- black tea
- pu erh tea
Japan is known for green tea, which immediately makes us think of green tea leaves or matcha, where the leaves are ground. But green tea is not just green tea and there are indeed differences.
The quality, taste and smell of each variety is determined by a number of factors:
- The parts of the tea plant that are used
- Where the plant grows (in the sun or covered)
- When the harvest takes place
The most famous teas
Sencha
Sencha is by far the most drunk type of tea in Japan, about 80% of Japanese tea is Sencha. Unlike black tea, this tea is not fermented and after picking the leaves are quickly steamed so that the oxidation process stops. Actually, Sencha does not look like ordinary tea leaves, because the leaves are rolled into needles and dried.
There are big differences in the quality of Sencha tea. The best Sencha is Shincha / 新茶 (new tea), which the Japanese also call Ichibancha, which means first pick. It is the first harvest of the year, which usually takes place around April. In addition, you also have Nibancha (second harvest) and Sanbancha (third harvest).
But that's just the beginning... :-) This is how we distinguish many more species.
Fukamushicha
Fukamushicha is sencha tea, but the leaves of this tea are steamed longer than the standard sencha, which gives it a full flavor. After about 60 seconds of steaming, the leaves soften and break easily when rolled. As a result, you actually drink even more of the tea leaf, because the substances are easily released when you make a cup of tea. Steaming gives the tea a soft, floral taste.
Gyokuro
According to real tea connoisseurs, this is the cream of the crop when it comes to tea. Gyokuro is not drunk every day by the Japanese people because it is a luxurious and expensive tea. It is also often referred to as Jade Dew because of its color and sweet taste. The taste of this tea is less bitter than the well-known sencha tea.
Genmaicha
Genmaicha is a blend of bancha tea and toasted rice. Because sometimes a grain of rice pops, this tea has also been given the name popcorn tea. In the past it was mainly drunk by the poorer class because the rice grains made the tea much cheaper. Now this tea is appreciated and drunk by many Japanese.
Bancha
This tea is harvested from mid-May to autumn, making it a late harvest. The quality is therefore also lower, the leaves are coarser and fibrous. The stems are also picked. Because it is a low yield, it contains less caffeine than sencha, as the caffeine content decreases during growth.
Guricha
Guricha, also called Tamaryokucha, is curly tea. It is a slightly finer variant of Sencha, and this tea is not rolled or pressed. This strain does not undergo a final kneading process, which gives it a sweet, fruity taste. Guricha is a rare tea, because only 3% of the total tea production is Guricha.
Hojicha
Hojicha is roasted Sencha and that makes it unique when you know that most Japanese tea is steamed. The roasting is done in a porcelain pot on charcoal, which ensures a full, nutty flavor and the leaves get a brown color.
You can keep this tea for a long time and you can drink it both cold and hot. Ideal for hot days!
Matcha
Last but not least: matcha. This type of tea probably needs little explanation. :-) Matcha consists of finely ground tea leaves that undergo a unique production process. The production is very labour-intensive and therefore this type of tea is also somewhat more expensive.
If you drink matcha, you consume the entire leaf, so you get all the good substances. That is why matcha green tea is much healthier than regular green tea. 1 cup of matcha is equivalent to about 10 cups of tea based on the healthy substances.
Do you want to know more about matcha? Then read how to recognize the best matcha or discover 5 unprecedented benefits of the green powder.
Tea made without tea leaves
It's not just the leaves that tea is made from. The other parts of the Camellia Sinensis tea plant are also processed into tea.
Kukicha
Kukicha consists of the twigs and veins of the green tea leaves, it is a three-year tea consisting of one third tea leaves and two thirds twigs and veins.
The twigs are only cut after three harvest seasons, which is why this tea gets the term three-year tea. Kukicha has a low caffeine content, so it can be drunk at any time of the day. The tea is also very nice on a hot summer day! The refreshing taste is somewhat reminiscent of citrus.
Konacha
Konacha contains the leftovers left over from the Gykuro or Sencha production process. The remaining leaves and pieces do have the same taste and properties as Sencha or Gykuro, but this tea is therefore a lot cheaper.
There are still so many different types of green tea, but then this blog would probably be way too long. :-) Do you want to read more about green tea? Then be sure to read the knowledge articles and recipes on the blog .