Ah, Sencha. Surely Japan's most beloved tea. Indeed, it's found in nearly every household, every vending machine, and every convenience store in Japan. By all means, chances are you've had it too! As sencha green tea is served in most Japanese restaurants and sushi bars. Furthermore, often free of charge.
Sencha (煎茶) is made from unshaded leaves that are steamed briefly after picking to halt oxidation, then rolled and dried into a characteristic needle shape. It accounts for roughly 80% of all tea produced in Japan.
But was it always this way? Certainly not.
A Brief History of Sencha Green Tea
As a matter of fact, Sencha didn't become popular in Japan until the 18th century. In fact, people didn't even consume sencha before. On the other hand, Matcha (powdered green tea) was the tea of choice. Although it was only available to the elite. However, everything changed when a monk named Baisao stepped onto the scene and started selling brewed sencha on Kyoto's streets for a small price. To read more about the fascinating history of sencha and the sencha tea ceremony (Senchado), click here.
Sencha is the most popular tea in Japan. You can find it in every store, vending machine, and most homes.
The 8 Varieties of Sencha Green Tea
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Jo Sencha (上煎茶) – superior sencha
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Toku Jo Sencha (特上煎茶) – extra superior sencha
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Hachijuhachiya Sencha (八十八夜) – sencha harvested 88 days after the first day of spring (Risshun)
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Kabuse Sencha or Kabusecha (被せ茶) – shaded sencha
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Asamushi (浅蒸し) – lightly steamed sencha
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Chumushi (中蒸し) – middle steamed (30-90 seconds)
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Fukamushi (深蒸し) – deeply steamed sencha (1–2 minutes)
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Shincha (新茶) or Ichibancha (一番茶) – first harvest of the year
How To Tell If Sencha Green Tea Is Good Quality
Notably, high-quality sencha green tea has a vivid or deep green color. Indeed, it is not dull. The tea leaves are thin, firm, and twisted, resembling needles. The aroma is a mix of fresh-cut grass and seaweed. The brew is a golden-green color. Lastly, the taste is deep and full of umami — a perfect balance of sweetness and astringency.
Farmers harvest the best sencha between April and May. Summer and fall harvests also exist but are usually lower in quality and price. To learn more click here.
How Do Tea Farmers Process Sencha Green Tea?
Unlike matcha and gyokuro, sencha tea leaves are grown in full sunlight, unshaded. Thus, sencha tea leaves have a healthy amount of catechins, which give the tea its characteristic astringency, alongside the volatile aromatic compounds responsible for its fresh, grassy notes.
In fact, 80% of all tea produced in Japan is sencha green tea.
First, tea masters steam sencha Japanese green tea for about 30–40 seconds (longer for Fukamushi, see below) to prevent oxidation. Then, they roll, shape, and dry the leaves. Consequently, this step creates the iconic needle shape of the tea leaves.
Additionally, farmers steam Fukamushi sencha twice as long as regular Sencha. In fact, Fukamushi means "steamed for a long time." Truly, Fukamushi usually has a stronger taste and a deeper, dark green color. Furthermore, the taste is not as fresh and grassy as regular sencha, and it's also much sweeter.
How Much Caffeine Does Sencha Have?
Because sencha is grown unshaded, it generally falls in the middle of the Japanese green tea caffeine range: more than roasted teas like hojicha, whose caffeine is reduced by the roasting process, but less than shaded teas like matcha and gyokuro. For a full breakdown of how caffeine content varies across tea types, see our comprehensive caffeine guide.
What's the Best Way to Keep Sencha Green Tea Fresh?
Notably, the best way to store sencha Japanese green tea is in an airtight, odorless container made out of steel. Furthermore, the container should be about the same size as the amount of tea you have, so there isn't too much air left. However, unopened Japanese teas are best stored in the refrigerator. Once open, you should store them in a dark place that's not over 70F, outside of the fridge. Read more.
How To Brew Japanese Green Tea?
Brewing With Hot Water and a Kyusu:
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Place 1g of sencha for every 60ml of water into a kyusu (or brewing vessel of choice)
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Pour water of 175ºF (80ºC) into the kyusu
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Wait 1 minute for the Sencha to brew
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Pour tea from the kyusu into each cup little by little, alternating them, so that both cups end up with the same amount of tea and the same taste
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For the next brew to taste its best, make sure to pour all the tea from the kyusu
Usually, you may follow this method for three consecutive infusions.
In fact, Kyusu are made especially for Japanese teas like sencha. Of course, if you don't own a kyusu, feel free to use any other tea infuser you may have. Read more about kyusu here
Iced Sencha
When making iced sencha, you can enjoy the refreshing, astringent taste it's well known for. Notably, brewing sencha with hot water first extracts catechins and caffeine. Which, in contrast, are extracted in much smaller amounts when brewed using the koridashi or mizudashi methods
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Place 1g of sencha for every 60ml of water into a kyusu (or brewing vessel of choice)
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Pour water of 175ºF (80ºC) into the kyusu
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Wait 2-3 minutes for the Sencha to brew. The tea brew should be strong, as it will get diluted by the ice.
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Fill cups with ice
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Pour tea from the kyusu into each cup little by little, alternating them, so that both cups end up with the same amount of tea and the same taste
For Mizudashi Sencha (Cold-brewed Sencha):
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Place 1g of sencha for every 30ml of water into a kyusu (or brewing vessel of choice)
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Add 200 ml fresh cool water
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Place in the fridge for 15 minutes
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Stir the tea leaves and wait for them to settle. This helps the tea leaves release more flavor into the water
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Enjoy the cold-brewed sencha tea!
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*For the second infusion, brew for 7 minutes.
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For the third infusion, brew for 3 minutes.
For Koridashi (Ice-brewed Gyokuro):
Kori Dashi refers to tea brewed with ice. While this process is slightly longer than Mizudashi, the ice is even better at extracting all those sweet tea notes.
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First, place 1 gram of gyokuro tea leaves for every 30 ml of water (ice) in a brewing vessel
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Then, place the ice somewhere where it can slowly drip down on the tea leaves as it melts
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After that, wait for the ice to melt completely (in hot weather, this will take a few hours)
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Finally, enjoy!
Read more about making cold-brewed and iced Japanese green teas here.
It's important to note that you should try not to drink sencha on an empty stomach. Sencha green tea is certainly lovely when enjoyed during or after meals. However, if you are sensitive to caffeine, you may want to avoid drinking it before bed.
