I want to drink it every day! What is regular sencha, the representative of Japanese tea?

What is Sencha?

When you think of tea, most people probably think of bright green tea, and this is what is called "sencha."

Sencha originally meant, as the name suggests, boiled tea or the act of boiling tea, but now it refers to tea made using a unique method in which the raw leaves are steamed to stop the action of enzymes, then rolled, dried, and shaped into a needle-like shape.

It is said that tea was introduced from China to Japan during the Nara period, but Sencha was born in the mid-Edo period. It was invented in 1738 by Nagatani Soen of Uji, Kyoto.

Nagatani Soen used the "Aosei Sencha manufacturing method," which involves steaming, rolling, and drying the new leaves, similar to the current Sencha manufacturing method, and succeeded in making Sencha with a much better taste and aroma than conventional methods, which became popular throughout the country.

This was the beginning of the "sencha" that we drink today.

How to make Sencha

The steaming time for freshly picked green tea leaves is delicately adjusted to 30 to 40 seconds depending on their freshness and softness. This steaming process greatly affects the quality of the Sencha.

After that, the leaves are repeatedly kneaded using a machine that faithfully reproduces the traditional techniques of hand-kneading tea, breaking down the tissue of the tea leaves.

This process allows the umami components and nutrients contained in the tea leaves to easily infuse into the hot water, and when the tea is brewed, it becomes a yellow-green tea with a refreshing aroma, a harmonious balance of umami, bitterness and astringency, and a smooth texture.

Is green tea and sencha the same?

The "green tea" we usually drink is this "sencha." Sencha and green tea are very similar words, so it can be confusing. Here's a simple explanation.

Green tea is a general term for tea made without fermenting the tea leaves. In addition to sencha, there are many other types, such as gyokuro, matcha, and hojicha.

Sencha is one of the most common types of green tea. It is made by steaming the tea leaves and is the representative type of green tea that Japanese people drink on a daily basis.

In other words, sencha is a type of green tea.

summary

As mentioned earlier, when people talk about tea, they generally mean this regular sencha. Incidentally, the "regular" in regular sencha means that the steaming time is standard, not that it is "tea for everyday use."

Yamamotoyama also carries a wide variety of regular sencha. Please enjoy the unique flavors of each producing region.